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#who will have my head first my (equally loud) neighbors or my own family
star-mum · 3 months
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besties I bought one of those karaoke mics and I cant wait for it to get here, so I can be the most ANNOYING BITCH IN THE BLOCK !!!!!!
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memory i don’t mess with (jake “hangman” seresin)
a/n: hangman criminally does not get enough love so my little simping heart decided to write this lil’ thing. enjoy. i could very well be talked into writing a prequel (or maybe even a sequel) for this so let me know your thoughts
inspired by lee brice’s “memory i don’t mess with”
main masterlist | top gun: maverick masterlist
break up in a small town | when i get where i’m going
warnings: break-ups, brief mention of death from a drunk driving accident, jake is from the South i don’t make the rules but i am from California and know Nothing about the South, jake also listens to country music and idk if that’s relevant but it’s a head canon i have
word count: 1,133
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Jake took a deep breath, hopping out of the front seat of his Dad’s old pick-up truck. It felt good to be back in his small hometown in the South, the roads familiar and the people holding precious memories. He’d offered to go in town, pick up a few things his family needed while he was home on leave for a week. He really wanted an excuse to drive past his old high school, maybe past the park where the sun always shined, and stop into the old diner he frequented during high school. He always swore even the best Navy chefs couldn’t make a cup of coffee like that place could. He squinted out at the busyness of Main Street, familiar faces stopping and chatting with one another, the Southern charm feeling home. The Southern sun warmed his soul, lifting pieces of him he didn’t even know needed lifting, until he stepped out into it. He was halfway through his errands and promised his Mom he’d stop by the farmer’s market to pick up fresh fruits and that honey she liked, and yes, he’d stop and tell the Millers she’d said hello. He chuckled as he began to stroll through the street, seeing familiar neighbors and faces he’d hadn’t seen in years. Some from high school, some childhood friends, neighbors whose parents had passed on while he’d been in the Navy. It felt like a lifetime Jake had been away from this town and while Jake had traveled many different places for the Navy, none had felt quite like home like his hometown did. Even San Diego, where he’d been stationed at the Miramar base for a while now, felt quite like this place. It was too big, too loud, too much unfamiliarity and foreignness to ever really feel like home. 
He paused at the next booth, recognizing the boy, Tyler. But it was more than that. He’d remember the times he’d play football with the kid, much younger than he was right now. The nights he’d spend watching Tyler, tucking him in with you when you were stuck with baby-sitting duty. The nights he’d pick Tyler up from school, take him to get ice cream and chat. He remembered the way he’d ruffle the boy’s hair every time he went to leave your home. His breath got caught in his throat as he realized who was in front of him. Tyler looked up, surprise and excitement spreading over his face. The boy jumped up from his chair, side-stepping the tables to attack Jake in a hug. Jake tried not to stumble back, giving the boy in an equally tight hug. Tyler had easily been his own little brother and he’d missed the boy. Missed getting to watch him grow up. Jake heard your voice before he saw you. 
“Ty, here are more of those...” You said, trailing off when you saw who was standing next to him. You pushed your sunglasses to sit atop of your head. 
“(Y/N), look who it is!” Tyler exclaimed, shaking Jake’s arm. Jake offered you a genuine smile. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen you, but you were just as pretty as he remembered you being. You offered Jake an equally genuine smile, getting down the crate you were carrying to give him a hug. He pulled you close and his brain flashed back to a million memories. First date. Prom night. When you got rejected from your dream college. After a fight. Christmas. The night he’d enlisted into the Navy. The night the two of you’d broken up. 
“What’re you doing here?” You asked, arms sliding off of his large frame, stepping back to take him in. He shrugged. 
“I’ve got a week leave and there’s no place like home.” You nodded. 
“How’s the Navy treating you?” Tyler asked excitedly, haven re-taken his seat behind the booth. 
“Good. Been stationed in Miramar in California for a while now. Hoping the placement is permanent.” 
“Pretty city.” You said, smiling at him. 
“How- how’re things going for you?” He asked. You nodded. 
“Good. Helping Mom with the business. Ty just graduated college.” You mentioned, motioning to the boy. Ty beamed. He’d always wanted Jake’s approval, looking up to Jake from a very young age. “Thinking about enlisting in the Navy.” 
“Yeah?” Jake asked, turning to the boy. Tyler nodded. “Well, give me a call sometime if you’re serious. Maybe you can come out to Miramar, get a beer or two.” Tyler nodded and while Jake worried for the kid, he knew Tyler was like you and wouldn’t let anything get in the way of what he wanted. He knew you’d feel better if there was someone looking out for him. He looked back to you and was hit with a bunch of different memories all at once. Summer drives through the countryside, your hair flowing in the wind as you beamed in the passenger seat. Late night talks in his car with ice cream in hand. All the school dances. Graduation. The fight that had ended it all. Water fights in your front yard. Building snowmen with you in the winter. The night he’d spent with you as your Dad died in the hospital from a drunk driver. All the conversations the two of you’d had about your future. Lunches during high school, arm slung around your shoulder, laughing alongside your friends. Study dates at the local dinner. Enough time had passed that you’d become a happy memory, someone who  he thought of fondly and with only love. And yet here was a stranger from his memories living and breathing in front of him. You flashed that smile that hadn’t changed and he knew he’d do anything you asked. He swallowed. “Well, I better be getting on back to the house. Mom’s making pie.” He said. That wasn’t entirely untrue; Mom was making pie but he was on no timeline to be back at the house. You nodded, your smile faltering slightly, only enough that had he not known you as well as he did, he would’ve missed it. “Tell her I said hi.” 
“Only if you tell yours I said hello.” You laughed. 
“Deal.” He raised a hand in departure, nodding to Tyler. He took a shaky breath, walking away from you. He’d loved you for a long time, and he still did. But you needed to stay in his past, where you belonged, or he’d never go back. He’d go back to you in a heartbeat, throw away everything he’d worked for since leaving the small town, and wouldn’t even give the Navy a second thought. He’d only ever seen a future with you, would’ve done anything for you, still would, but you were a memory, a person he no longer knew. 
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strawberrynamjoon · 3 years
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farmer boy, i love you
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– Pairing: Taehyung x Reader
– Genre: farming!au, lowkey e2l, smut, humor & tons of nagging
– Word count: 35k
– Summary: Needing change in your life you decided it would be a brilliant idea to move to your uncle’s small farm, helping him and your cousin Jimin with the daily work. What you didn’t plan was to fall in love with your beautiful yet very annoying neighbour Taehyung, who seemed to make it his personal mission to tease you every chance he got. And what you expected even less was that he seemed to like you too.
– Warnings: includes smut, alcohol and mentions death of a father
– A/N: this is a rewritten edition of a fic i already posted before when i was still writing for got7 but i loved it too much to let it go <3
– Disclaimer: This is not proofread because I was too lazy, so you might find a few mistakes!
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Walking the long but yet very pretty way towards the small village that, from today on, was supposed to be your new home you felt a bit indifferent. While you were convinced that it was time for you to start a new chapter of your life you still couldn’t help but feel anxious about taking such a big step.
Moving to the farm that belonged to your uncle seemed like such a great idea when he first offered the plan he had to you – the place held such special memories and as a child you always wanted nothing more than to live there, working on the farm, supporting your uncle and his son, your super annoying yet lovely cousin Jimin.
Now that the idea wasn’t an idea anymore but your reality you were scared and not so sure anymore that this was the right step, yet your second thoughts didn’t matter anymore, it was already too late for you.
The big city you grew up had nothing to offer you anymore – so now, you wanted, or better said needed a cut in your life.
There was nothing you used to love more than sneaking out with your cousin at night, secretly meeting up with your friends, going for a swim in the small lake right next to your house. You wouldn't trade those memories for nothing, cherishing each and every one of them. So, you concluded that this town was the best option you had.
It had been such a long time since you visited, you actually felt a bit nostalgic when you arrived in the center of the town. The residents liked to call the marketplace at the beginning of the town „the heart“ of the city.
Ever since your last visit many years ago nothing seemed different. Basically, it was a round and rather big circle, surrounded by a small café that has been there all your life, right next to it the library that was owned by the Jeon family, the parents of Jimin's closest friend, Jungkook. You couldn't help but smile as you remembered how you used to hide in the library, reading the same few books over and over again.
Opposite of the library was the old restaurant – every single rather important event was celebrated in that specific restaurant, no matter if it were birthdays, anniversaries, New Year's Eve or whatever other occasion there was.
It was so popular not only because of the delicious food they offered but also because it was literally the only restaurant around. Your uncle and your neighbors, the Kims, were providing them with the food they needed, so you usually always got food for free which lead to you and Jimin spending a lot of time at the restaurant, no matter how often your uncle insisted he could cook dinner for you – in hindsight you felt kind of bad for him because the two of you constantly turned down his meals.
And last, but certainly not least, there was the little pub that you never actually were allowed to spend time in since you used to be too young. The Mins, the owners of the place, were very strict about that. None of you and your friends were ever allowed to be inside the pub as long as you were minors – even their son Yoongi rarely ever saw it from the inside, probably because the adults didn’t want the children around after work was done.
As you stood in the middle of the marketplace you couldn't help but smile as the last sunrays of this warm late summer day were falling right onto the pub, making it look a bit more beautiful than it actually was. The paint on the outside was splintered and the sign that simply said ‘The Mins’ Pub’ was slowly falling apart – somehow all of this gave it a certain charm though.
The vibe of the village always made you feel comfortable. There were about 150 people living here if you had to guess and the next supermarket was a twenty-five minute drive away but the people seemed so happy, not worrying about a lot of things.
You decided that a short stop in the pub before you’d go home to your uncle’s house wouldn’t hurt anyone. After all, you were way too curious to finally see the magical place from inside.
As you carefully entered the door you felt cheerful – it looked exactly like you always imagined it to be. Most of the furniture was made out of old wood, the bar was long and it was the first thing one would notice as they came in since it was on the opposite wall of the entrance.
Your smile was wide when you spotted the one man you hoped to find standing behind the bar. Of course, Yoongi was the bartender by now, it was always his plan to work here, to him it seemed to be the coolest thing ever to be a bartender, especially in his own bar – and turns out, he was right, he looked extremely cool behind the bar, washing glasses while chatting with villagers.
For a second you studied him, he looked dangerously handsome. Certainly a lot taller than the last time you had interacted with him and his face seemed more mature, a defined jawline but the same round cheeks, his hair long and falling in his face, making him look almost evil for a seocnd. If it wasn’t for gummy smile you would have had to look twice to be sure it was the same Min Yoongi you spent so much time with as a child.
The expression on his face as he recognized you, the young lady from out of town, was priceless – his whole relaxed and cool facade vanished immediately as he stared at you with his eyes wide open, a questioning glance as he saw you. He was caught off guard, his slightly opened mouth giving him away.
“Just the man I hoped to find. Yoongi, you look good,” you playfully flirted as you walked towards the bar, “I’d like to have one beer please.”
Within seconds he was walking away from his place behind the bar to come and embrace you in a tight hug before mustering you, shortly studying your face to make sure you were really the person he thought you were.
“(Y/N), live and in color? I thought you forgot about us,” he joked, the surprise of you in his bar very pleasant to him.
A joyful laugh came out of your mouth as he walked back behind the bar, opening both, you and himself, a beer.
“You could’ve called, you know? No need to surprise me like this. My old heart can’t take those kinds of surprises anymore,” he sounded lighthearted, just like you remembered him.
Immediately you felt ten times lighter, clicking with people you haven’t seen in a long time was one of the purest and most magical feelings in existence and you were more than relieved to see that you and Yoongi were equally as excited to be reunited after such a long time. Not getting along with your old friends, especially him, was one of the many fears you had about moving here.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t assume Jimin actually kept quiet about me coming back,” you admitted.
“How long has it been since we saw each other?” he asked as he was leaning against the bar, his whole attention on his former best friend, still having an obviously hard time to believe that you were actually sitting in front of him right then and there.
Before you could give him an answer someone else started to answer for you from behind you and you immediately recognized his orotund voice, “Six long years,” your cousin said while he and another familiar face walked up to you.
Jimin pulled you into an even deeper hug than Yoongi did and you felt home within seconds. Jungkook was right beside him, of course, where else would he be than next to Jimin? The two of them still were inseparable and it was almost heartwarming to see how little has changed.
“How did you manage to not say anything?” Jungkook scoffed in shock before looking at you, “It’s good to see you again, (y/n). I can’t believe Jimin didn’t tell us.”
You were almost amazed to see how much he grew, his chin could easily rest on your head by now, something that you would’ve never thought could happen. Jungkook has always been the youngest and smallest kid back then and now he was the tallest in the room.
“I wasn’t sure if she’d actually come. Didn’t want to get your hopes up, Jungkook,” he teased his friend, still nagging about the crush he had on you when you were literally five years old.
Jungkook rolled his eyes at his comment before bringing his attention back to you and Yoongi, sitting down on the stool beside yours.
“So, how long are you going to stay?” Yoongi asked.
For the first time, you actually had to say the truth out loud, making it feel much more real.
“I’m not planning to leave again,” you sounded more confident than you expected, the nice encounter with your old friends almost making you feel like all of your previous worries were groundless.
There was a moment of silence, both of them not knowing what to say – it almost seemed like you broke them.
“You know, I never saw you speechless until now,” Jimin chuckled amused.
“You mean –”, Jungkook started to form a sentence but dropped it, not knowing how to continue.
“You’re moving here?” Yoongi asked, wrinkles on his forehead as his brows narrowed in confusion.
As you slowly nodded his concentrated expression vanished and changed into a grin. “You’re actually moving here,” he repeated breathlessly, more to himself than to you, slowly nodding to himself as if he had to progress the new information.
“Welcome home then, (y/n). I think this is a reason to celebrate,” he smiled while pouring shots into a few glasses in front of him.
Time went by fast and you had fun learning about what happened in the last six years. It didn’t sound like a lot has changed though, they were still as close and as fun to be around as you rememberd.
Every time you looked at them it hit you how fast time flew by, it felt like a just few months ago all of you were playing hide and seek in the middle of the night while your parents had no idea you sneaked out.
A few hours and way too many shots later, you and Jimin walked home, the night sky was breathtakingly clear and full of stars – a sight you simply would never see in your hometown, all the city lights drowing them out. You forgot how special it felt to walk under millions of stars.
No matter how much fun you had in the bar, walking home with Jimin was your favorite part of today, you definitely missed him the most.
He told you a bit about how Hoseok and Namjoon were thinking about taking over the old restaurant because the owners are getting too old to manage everything and about Jungkook and Seokjin being into the same girl, without knowing that Namjoon was already dating her in secret – it was nice that he filled you in with everything you missed, so you could start right where you left.
As you arrived at home your uncle was sitting in the rocking chair on the porch in front of the old farmhouse.
“Uncle Minwoo,“ you almost shouted out as you saw him, jogging over to where he was sitting. Minwoo always was your favorite uncle and you were his favorite niece, much to the dislike of your siblings.
“(Y/n),” he laughed as you hugged him, “you smell like you had a good time in the pub.”
“We actually have a small surprise for you,” Jimin seemed excited as he told you to follow him.
He lead you to the old little cottage that has been on the farm for as long as you were able to think – back in the days it was mainly used for storing tools and electronics that shouldn’t be exposed to the rain. Confusion coming over you, your uncle handed you a key and you opened the small cottage. Stepping inside, you couldn’t believe your eyes.
“Welcome home,“ your uncle chuckled as you observed the room in front of you. A small kitchen, a couch and a TV in the living room, a bed on the other side of the room. They painted the walls white and decorated a bit – it might have been something small but enough to touch you deeply.
You were sure you could stay here forever, it was cute and welcoming, like a real home. Not a thousand words could describe how much you appreciated them for putting in so much effort, just to make you feel comfortable.
As you thanked both, Jimin and your uncle, the three of you talked for a bit longer, the excitement taking over before your uncle advised you that it would be better to catch some sleep – work wouldn’t wait for you and you had to be thankful for any second of sleep you could get.
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Waking up the next morning, you immediately regretted the alcohol you had the night before. Your phone said it was currently six in the morning and while being woken up by the sound of chicken and cows was way more relaxing than your usual alarm clock you still would have preferred to just sleep in.
Walking outside a few minutes later you inspected the farm – it was a giant property with two big houses on it. Half of the farm belonged to your uncle, he took care of the animals and artisan goods, the other half belonged to the Kims, in charge of the crop harvest
Starting the day with feeding the chickens and collecting eggs was one of the easier tasks you had to face today since it almost didn’t require any kind of skill. While you were picking up another egg you flinced as you heard someone scream at you from behind.
“Hey! Put the eggs back! Who in the world steals eggs these days?” the deep voice belonged to a man but before you could turn around to find out who was screaming at you, he held your wrists behind your back, not giving you any space to move.
Your attempt to free yourself was almost embarrassing, it was clear that you had no chance against whoever decided to disturb you.
Turning your head around to scream at the stranger you muted as soon you met his eyes – the words you wanted to scream wouldn’t come out as you looked into the familiar face of his, your brain working hard as you realized who he was.
His thick eyebrows were furrowed, his dark eyes were piercing you, filled with a mixture of anger and annoyance – he was still staring at you and waiting for an explanation.
“Kim–“ your voice died and you fastly cleared your throat, “Kim Taehyung?”
His annoyed expression changed into a confused one as you called him by his name. You couldn’t believe he was accusing you of stealing eggs.
“Let go of me!” you demanded but Taehyung wasn’t planning to listen to you, not trusting you.
“Who are you?”, he asked harshly, “You’re not from here. How do you know my name?”
The grip on your wrists became tighter and actually started to hurt a bit.
“I’m (Y/N). Minwoo’s niece,” you replied just as harsh as he asked you, “Didn’t Mrs. Kim teach you any manners?”
He let you go and you immediately grabbed your own wrist just so he couldn’t grab them again. A small pout formed on your lip as you looked at them, trying not to let him see that it actually hurt.
“What are you doing here?” he asked you, voice cold.
Now you were facing him and you had to stop for a second to take in his beauty. As he was holding you, you didn’t really manage to study his face since you were too busy trying to free yourself but now you started realizing how handsome he became.
It's not like he was ugly before, you and him just never clicked and that’s why you never gave his face any kind of attention.
Taehyung wasn’t a bad guy, you knew that because Yoongi repeatedly assured you that he was actually a very loving person once you get to know him.
Personally, you just never really got the chance to, since he definitely wasn’t interested in anything that had to do with you. Not in a mean way though, he just didn’t seem to care about the girls in town, especially not the one who always came over the summer break and then left again.
Glowering at you, he was waiting for an answer. You, on the other hand, didn’t dare to look him into his eyes, instead your eyes were studying the rest of his face. His features were sharper and manlier now, his brows thick but he still had the same wrinkles around his eyes.
For a second you wanted to look at his lips but you stopped yourself, not wanting him to get wrong ideas.
“What are you doing here?” you asked in retund instead of giving an answer, “Didn’t you always say you wanted to leave this place?”
He rolled his eyes as you avoided his question.
“I asked first,“ he insisted, making it hard for you not to chuckle at the very immature conversation you were having.
“I am working here. Don’t you have some vegetables to take care of?” you asked coldly asked before turning your back to him.
“You better get used to my face, if you scare me like this one more time I might have a heart attack,” you added as your attention was back to feeding the chickens.
But instead of leaving Taehyun was walking to stand right beside you, “You’re working here? Why would you do that?” he asked. It never was a secret that he wanted to leave this town, he used to talk about it a lot back then already and, even though he still was here, apparently, he still wanted to leave.
“I’m supporting my family,” you shrugged, not looking at him. You really didn’t want to be cold to him but you were tired and you knew how Taehyung was, he didn’t mean to be rude, he had a soft nature, everyone could see that once they got to see his warm smile but sometimes he was a bit rough.
You could see him shake his head in confusion as you were continuing with your work, “Okay, you go milk those cows and churn that butter if this is what fulfills you, (y/n). I’ll go back to work,“ he pointed at the field of tomatoes on the other side of the farm your families shared and left you alone again.
Walking over to the cows, you couldn't help but wonder why he still was here. He was a very clever guy, he could easily go and leave this town to study and open a business or whatever it was he wanted to do. Glancing over to him one more time, you tried to divert your attention to milking the cows.
The field of tomatoes he was currently working on was not too far away but luckily still far enough to give you a bit of privacy. He seemed to be very invested in picking the best tomatoes he could find, a concentrated glance on his face. And you really should try to concentrate too, since you haven’t milked a cow in years.
And you failed miserably. To your desperation, no one was around when you went looking for Jimin or your uncle to help you. Trotting back to the cows you sat down on a small stool in front of one them, giving it another try.
You groaned at the cow, laying your head back and closing your eyes in frustration. It was only your first day and you knew practice makes perfect but you wanted to cry.
“Just give me your stupid milk, please,” you mumbled while taking a deep breath, your eyes still closed.
“Are you sure this is the right job for you? If you can’t even milk Bertha maybe you should reconsider,“ Taehyung’s voice startled you, making you jump a bit. The grin on his face clearly was teasing, full of satisfaction because you were struggling, “Do you need help?”
“Please,“ you didn’t care about the triumphing grin on his face, you were more than willing to take his offer. Any kind of help was good. And in the end, you didn’t dislike Kim Taehyung, you just weren’t close to him.
He nodded before telling you to wait for a second as he walked towards the little shed. Coming out again he held a strange looking machine in his hand while attaching it to the cow’s udder.
“We haven't milked them by hand for years,” he explained to you as he took your wrist once again, this time more careful though, and slightly pulled you towards the cow’s udder, right next to him.
“Watch closely, I’ll show you once and if you can’t follow, you’re on your own,” his words sounded harsh but you didn’t take them that way. The fact that Yoongi was his best friend was something you two had in common and if he wanted you to give Taehyung a chance you would do that. For Yoongi, but also for yourself.
After all, Taehyung was your neighbor and, in addition, he was a handsome man, you wouldn’t mind being able to look at his face whenever you wanted at all.
You saw the way he acts around the guys and you saw that he indeed had a very soft heart, maybe he just had a hard time showing it.
“Hey! Are you even watching?” he asked annoyed while glancing at you, “I know how to do this, I am not the one that has to learn. I’m being nice here, don’t waste my time.”
You chuckled a bit at him losing his temper so easily. “Yes, Taehyung, I’m watching," you said grinning, “Wasting your time was not a task on my list today.”
After he rolled his eyes at you you could swear you saw a small smile on his face while he started to milk the cow, explaining to you what he was doing step by step.
You tried to concentrate on how exactly he does it, what movements his hands made and so on but you kept on finding yourself thinking about how good his hands looked – what in the world was wrong with you? It's not like you've never seen an attractive man before so you had no clue why your hormones were playing a game with you.
After you started to try milking the cows yourself you felt more than relieved that you actually managed to do it right. Letting out a small ‘thank god’ under your breath you realized that Taehyung still stood right beside you, watching your every move.
“You know, you can go back to the toma–” you started to say before he interrupted you in the same moment.
“Just a tip for you,“ he said, not sounding cold for the first time, “Don’t dress up for farm work. You’ll ruin your clothes. You can still wear cute outfits after you’re finished here. But while working just wear something old,“ he said as he was just about to turn around before you had to take the chance to annoy him one last time for now.
“You think my outfit is cute?” the grin on your face was wide and you were way too amused.
As a response his eyes squinted together in regret, knowing that you’ll probably never stop teasing him about it.
“Please don't,“ was all he could whisper frustrated under his breath.
“What a softie you are,“ you playfully poked his upper arm, “Didn’t know you had that in you.”
He let out yet another sigh, sounding almost whiny but the smile on the corner of his mouth came out nonetheless, “Are you always this awful?“
“Dear diary,“ you said in a nagging tone, “Today Kim Taehyung complimented my–”
Before you could end your sentence he was covering your mouth, shaking his head in disbelief slowly, “I’ll go back to work, (y/n). Don’t forget to churn the butter. The wooden pitcher we use for it is in the shed,“ and with that, he walked back to his side of the farm again.
Just a second before he arrived he glanced over to you again, screaming so that you would hear him, “I didn’t compliment you okay? Don't let it get to your head.“
Waving at him from the shed, you nodded your head. “Sure. Talk to you later! Your outfit looks cute too by the way”, you screamed back.
Maybe working next to Taehyung wasn’t so bad after all, if he was always such an easy target to provocate you'd at least have your fun.
When Jimin came into the shed with the tools to take over a few hours later, you were busy churning the butter, cursing under your breath.
Sweat was dripping all over your forehead and it was seriously tiring, every single muscle of your arm hurt, including some muscles you didn’t even know you had. You weren’t sure if you could manage to do that on a daily base. At least you wouldn’t have to worry about a gym membership anymore.
Your cousin stared at you confused, a sly grin in the corner of his mouth, “What exactly are you doing?“
“I’m churning the goddamn butter. Why is it so hard?” you complained while looking up to him. He was holding two beers in his hands, handing one over to you before starting to laugh at your action.
“Why would you use that old thing for that? We have a machine that churns it for us,“ he laughed, “I don’t know why we even still have that old thing.”
“Fucking Kim Taehyung,“ you cursed under your breath, leaving Jimin even more confused.
“You met him?” he asked while sitting down in the hay beside you.
“I did," you hissed, “He was the one who told me to do it this way.”
Jimin’s smile grew wide as he tried to contain his laughter, “I didn’t know he could be so evil.”
He almost sounded satisfied that you were getting fooled by him, “He likes you if he teases you.”
“Well, that’s not a very nice way of showing it,“ you took a big sip of the beer, knowing that you probably deserved it for all the teasing earlier, before continuing, “You didn’t tell me he became so handsome though.”
Jimin’s eyes widened immediately as you confessed and you could tell he was trying not to spit out his drink out of shock. He fastly swallowed, “You have a crush on our Tae?”
You shook your head scoffing, lightly kicking his leg, “A crush? How old are we? I just think he’s very attractive. But he was pretty rude though.”
Jimin pressed his lips together in a thin line, looking into the sky, „His father died two years ago. He had a hard time. But he opens up sooner or later, just be patient with him – I promise, he is one of the most kind and caring people in this town.“
You gulped at the news, “What a sad loss, Mr. Kim was such a ray of sunshine, always ready to help if help was needed.”
Jimin nodded, “He was. Olli was only six years old when his father died. But dad took a lot of care of them since then.”
There was a short silence. You still remembered little Olli, Taehyung’s younger brother. The last time you saw him he was barely two years old.
“I can’t believe he’s your type though. I thought I really wanted to set you up with Jungkook,“ Jimin broke the silence before you could think about it any longer, almost offended.
You laughed at him. He was close to Taehyung, you knew that, but he always wanted you to date Jungkook, only for the purpose of having him as an official family member.
“That won’t happen,”, you broke it to him, much to his disappointment.
A deep sigh came from him, “Well if you want Taehyung so bad, come to the pub with us. I bet he’ll be there too tonight. We are meeting at eight. What do you say?”
“I don’t want him, I simply said that he is good looking,”  you desperately hoped he wouldn’t tease you all the time about this from now on, already starting to slowly regret that you even brought it up in the first place. And as much as you would like to go out to the pub with the others you had a date with your bathtub that you wouldn’t want to miss for anything else tonight.
“I’ll pass though. I’ll come next time,“ you promised, standing up and walking towards your door.
“I can’t wait to tell Yoongi that you and Taehyung are going to become a couple. How exciting!” he yelled after you in his typical teasing voice, making you laugh out in frustration. Sharing your opinion on Taehyung’s look with your cousin probably wasn't the best idea.
It fastly got dark outside and you were lighting the candles in your bathroom, the bathtub slowly filling up with hot water.
Exactly what your muscles needed after churning the butter all afternoon. Putting a bit of milk in the bathtub, you wondered if you had some honey in the farmhouse by any chance. As you wrapped the first towel you could find around your body, you wanted to hush over to your uncle’s house to check. But what stopped you from your plans was a shadow you saw walking past your window, making you freeze until someone rang your door.
Opening it, no one else than Taehyung was standing in front of it, his work clothes traded into sweatpants and an oversized hoodie, a basket in his hand and his eyes fixed on your exposed legs.
The towel you were wearing luckily covered all of your breast and bottom but that was about it. And, as if it couldn't get worse, it also had a lot of fairies on it – it used to be your favorite towel when you were about five years old. Still, you didn’t need Taehyung to see you wearing it.
“Taehyung?“ you asked him, unsure why he was visiting but he was still looking at the exposed parts of your body, not doing a good job at hiding the fact that he got distracted by your legs. You barely noticed though because your thoughts wandered to this morning. “How dare you not telling me that we have a machine for the butter? Are you crazy?”
“My arms hurt so much,“ you added in a complaining tone, too tired to fight him so you decided to whine instead.
Coming back to reality, he laughed at you, his eyes now looking at your face, “You seriously did it all by yourself?” – he was lucky the wrinkles around his eyes were so cute whenever he laughed, otherwise you would have killed him right there, “You must be pretty strong then.”
“What do you want?” you asked him annoyed before you saw his eyes wandering down to your legs once again.
Not missing out on the opportunity to nag him, you chuckled, “Do you like my outfit?” as you struck a small pose, you had to be careful not to expose any parts he shouldn’t see.
Rolling his eyes he handed over the basket, “Seriously, you’re so annoying.”
You grinned, thinking it’s quite funny how easy it was to annoy him, “But you still think I’m cute, so it doesn’t matter.”
There definitely was a smile hidden on his lips that he tried to hide at all cost, but you could see it reaching his eyes, “This is for you. My mum put your favorites in it. Tomatoes, cherries, peaches, blueberries. She asked me to bring it to you,“ the man said, trying to sound as uninterested and unbothered as possible.
“That–“ you started to gather your words, feeling very touched about the little gift but a bit confused as to why Taehyung brought it to you, “That’s so nice of her. I’ll come over tomorrow and thank her.”
He immediately focused on you again, “No, it's fine. I’ll tell her. She’s kind of sick at the moment, she needs to rest, Olli is not even letting me go near her because he doesn’t want anyone else to get sick, so I doubt he would let you come over.”
You mustered him suspiciously but decided to leave him be, you surely teased him enough for today and didn’t want him to actually dislike you.
“Alright, Tae. Thank you,“ you gave him a soft smile as you were about to close the door.
“Wait,” he stopped you before you closed the door and you waited for him to say something, “Are you planning to go to the pub later?“ – if you didn’t expect him to ask one thing than it was this one. Why did he care suddenly?
“I don’t think so. Churning that butter has really worn me out, you know?” you said, laughing lightly, “And my bathtub is already waiting for me.”
“Oh alright. That’s cool. See you soon, I guess,“ he said before awkwardly giving you a small smile and leaving again. What a strange yet interesting guy he was.
Something about him made you look forward to your future on the farm. But before you could let it get to your head, you were interrupted by a text from no one else than Yoongi.
[Yoongi, 22:29]
Glad to hear you're getting yourself a man! Taehyung and (y/n), how sweet.
You let out a small laugh before finally meeting your only date for tonight: Your bathtub. Though you had to admit that the handsome face from next door was coming to your mind every now and then.
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After a week you slowly got used to the daily work on the farm, your body was finally starting to react differently, your arms weren’t getting as sore anymore and waking up early was bothering you less and less.
It was a sunny Saturday which meant you had to gather all of the goods your uncle wanted to sell on the market the next morning. Picking out the best eggs, milk, wool and cheese was pretty boring, especially since Jimin left early because he was going on a date tonight with some random girl you never heard about before. But since you wanted him to be happy, and also because his teasing about Taehyung was slowly but surely making you go insane, you told him it would be okay if he let you work alone today.
It took you about an hour until you were finally done with carrying all of the boxes into your uncle’s car as you saw Mrs. Kim, Taehyung’s mother, and decided to help her quickly carrying her own boxes filled with pretty fruits and vegetables.
His mother was a beautiful and lovely lady, always has been. Her black hair was long and even though there were a few grey strands in it by now she still looked as young as ever.
“Mrs. Kim, let me help you,“ you shouted while jogging over to her, “Where’s Taehyung? Letting his mother carry all the heavy boxes of fruits and vegetables alone is not a nice thing to do,” you disapproved, one box already in your hands.
She let out a laugh and you were reminded of how warm her laughter was, it sounded like the giggle of a small child.
“It’s fine, I told him to rest for today. He always works so much,” she let out a worried sigh, “I’m very thankful, I know helping me on the farm was not what he wanted to do with his life but he does it for me.”
You never really thought about it that way before – that might explain why he was still here despite always hating the small village he was born and grew up in, it was probably hard for him to leave his family behind after losing his father.
While carrying a box full of blueberries you ate a handful, not able to hold back. The Kim’s blueberries have always been your favorites, none of the ones back at home could compare to the juicy fruits you'd get here.
“You still love blueberries, I see,” She hummed joyfully as she was carrying the last box to the car.
“I am obsessed with them,” you answered, “Oh how rude of me – I still wanted to thank you for the little basket full of fruits you send to me. I was in heaven, your peaches were even better than I remembered.”
Mrs. Kim looked at you in confusion for a second before getting a grip of the situation, the confusion vanishing while a different kind of expression came to her face, unable for you to read at first.
“So he can actually be charming,“ she mumbled to herself with an almost mischievous smirk and within seconds you knew exactly what she was talking about. That little shit.
Scoffing, you wondered why Taehyung wouldn't just admit that the little basket was a present from him, not from his mother – who would do something so sweet without wanting to let the other person know? But then, on the other hand, you didn’t understand Taehyung at all.
“Mum,” you heard his voice yell out while he walking out of the door to their house.
When he saw you he froze for a second, “Oh, hey, (y/n),“ he said with a slight and not really convincing smile, it almost seemed forced.
You nodded towards him, ready to go back to work and leave them alone, as his little brother came running outside, chasing after Taehyung.
“Tete,” he let out a scream as he tried to jump on his back. He was surprisingly tall for an eight-year-old, almost managing to get to Taehyung’s shoulders if he jumped high enough, “Can I come with you? Please?”
Before he could answer, Olli’s attention shifted somewhere else. Or better said, onto someone else. To be precise, you caught his attention, the girl standing in front of his mother and brother, a stranger he’s never seen before.
“Who are you?” he asked curiously, studying you exactly, “Are you Minwoo’s niece?”
You kneeled down to be at an eye to eye level with him, shaking his hand, “Yes, that’s me. I’m (y/n). It's nice to meet you.”
He had a big grin on his face, “Hi, I’m Olli,“ after introducing himself to you he turned around to his big brother, “Did you make the basket for her?”
Taehyung shushed him within a second, giving him a warning glance before trying to cover up his story, “Yes, I did it because mum asked me to.”
She let out a sarcastic laugh, making fun of her son, “Sure. It was totally me asking you to do that.”
A heavy sigh fell from Taehyung’s mouth before shaking his head in disbelief, “Where is your cousin? He promised he’d help me picking up our new couch.”
“Oh, I am afraid he forgot. He’s on a date right now,“ you informed him.
Taehyung let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temple, not believing that Jimin completely forgot about him. Now even more frustrated, he started mumbling, “It’s always the same with this guy.”
“I’ll help you,“ you volunteered determined, not even bothering to ask him first, knowing he’d say no anyway, “I’m done with work for today and I don’t mind coming along.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll go alone,“ he insisted, clearly mad at your cousin before walking over to his car. Not caring you decided to follow him, hoping that he’d be nice to Jimin if you helped him instead, even though you had little hope.
“Stop being so stubborn,“ you said to him as you opened the door and sat down inside the car, “Just accept my help.”
And much to your surprise, he did accept it, not bothering to start another discussion with you. Maybe he was just too tired of the constant bickering going on between the two of you.
As the two of you drove out of town the sky looked like it was painted in golden colors, the sun slowly setting but the air was still warm, brushing the arm you held out of the open window.
“Where are we even going?” you asked the obviously bothered boy beside you.
“It’s not far away, the dude I’m buying the couch from lives like twenty minutes away,“ he answered, his eyes glued to the street, „You really didn’t have to come. I could’ve easily done it alone.”
Slowly but surely, you were starting to get mad at Taehyung. You couldn’t tell why his constant attitude was getting to you but it did. Of course, he didn't have to like you and honestly, maybe you did go a bit too far with the teasing but after all, you were neighbors, co-workers and also shared the same group of friends. Being nice to each other was the least you could do – especially when you knew that he wasn’t like that at all towards other people. You’ve seen him interact with his little brother and his mother and his friends, he was a warm and loving person, laughing and joking whenever he could. He just wouldn’t open up towards you.
„Dude, you’re the worst. Can you keep quiet for once and accept help? Stop being so rude all the time, being nice every now and then won’t hurt you, you know? You can take your bad mood out on Jimin later.” you snapped at him, not even intended to sound so mean but it just happened – you just wanted him to at least accept you.
He peaked at you, his eyes grew wide in shock at your rant. Even though your voice was still low he clearly heard the frustration in it, “What do you mean? I am being nice all the time. I told you that you shouldn’t wear your good clothes to work in. That was a piece of nice advice I gave you for example.”
You scoffed at him not knowing if he was being serious, “You also attacked me because you thought I was stealing chicken and made me churn butter.”
He chuckled amused as you brought the churning up, “I still can’t believe you did that.”
“My arms still hurt. You’re an asshole,“ you rolled your eyes, not in the mood to put up with Taehyung being, well, himself, when you were just being nice, “If that is your interpretation of being nice I’m beyond sorry for your future girlfriend.”
“Hey, now you’re the one being mean,“ he acted offended and honestly, a bit confused, not knowing why the two of you were fighting. You weren't even mad at him, you just felt fed up, craving at least peace between the two of you.
“Well, maybe you just need a taste of your own medicine,“ you shrugged, calming down a bit as the discussion started to shift to a more playful mood than a serious one.
But before you or Taehyung could fuel the fire and add anything into the it, you let out a small scream as he was turning right with full speed, making you feel like you were about to crash, holding onto the seatbelt for dear life.
“For fucks sake, where did you learn how to drive? Do you not know that you’re supposed to slow down before turning?” you asked him, gasping for air.
“If this is already scaring you, I’ll give you the nice advice to not drive with Yoongi,” he laughed out loud as he parked his car in front of a big house, “Ready to use the strength in your arms built up from churning butter?”
It took you about twenty minutes to carry all the parts of the couch from the third floor to the trailer attached on Taehyung’s car. When you were done it was beginning to get dark outside and the weather was cooling down, making you shiver a bit.
All done, you sat back inside Taehyung’s car as he was securing the trailer so you could drive back home safely – or at least as safe as a ride with him could be.
“If you’re cold there’s a blanket on the backseat, I'll get it for you,“ he yelled from outside before coming getting inside the car, a blanket in his hand, “See how nice I am? So caring, not wanting you to freeze to death.”
You shook your head amused, „What a gentleman you are.”
The drive home was more peaceful, no discussions this time. You looked outside, seeing a big and bright star in the sky, pointing to it excited.
“I can’t get over how beautiful the starry night sky is here. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it,“ you mumbled, almost sounding dreamy, eyes glued to the sky. It wasn’t even completely dark outside yet, but the first stars were already sparkling brightly.
“Isn’t it the same in your hometown?” he asked a bit perplexed as he looked over to you, wondering how you could be so excited about some stupid stars.
“Not at all. The big city lights drown them. You can barely see some, and if you can, they are not as bright as here.”
“I suppose living here isn’t all bad.”, he shrugged after thinking about it for a few seconds, his glance wavering to the sky every few seconds.
You hummed in agreement, “Except for this terrible guy living next to me I quite enjoy my time here.”
He chuckled, enjoying the little game you two were playing, „Must be really hard to live right next to such an attractive young man. I bet you have a hard time.”
Laughing, you were impressed at his wittiness, “Don’t think too highly of yourself.”
Before you could let him answer your favorite song suddenly started playing in the radio, making you turn up the volume instantly, “You need to shut up now. This is my all-time favorite song.”
But of course, Taehyung didn't shut up. Much more like him, he did the opposite, trying to sing along as loud as he could just to ruin the song for you – and he had way too much fun doing it.
“I didn’t know you could sing,“ you said, giving him an approving look.
A smirk formed on his lips, “I'm a man full of surprises.”
The rest of the drive the two of you were singing along to the radio loudly, having genuine fun together for the first time since you arrived. It was nice to see him loosen up a bit, even though it was only a small step.
Driving up to the farm, you already saw Jimin sitting on the porch. He immediately stood up, walking over to the car, already apologizing without you really arriving yet, “I’m so so sorry mate. I completely forgot. I owe you a beer next time we go out.”
Taehyung chuckled as he turned the engine off, “Doesn’t seem like his date had a happy ending, considering he’s home already.”
“Good for me,“ you shrugged, “I’m way too tired to carry the whole couch inside anyway.”
You were the first to get out of the car, making Jimin narrow his eyebrows in confusion.
“What are you doing in Taehyung’s car?” he asked suspiciously.
“I’m doing your fucking job,“ you shot him a mean glance.
As you were walking towards your home you were stopped by Taehyung holding your arm, making you turn around.
“Thank you, I suppose,“ he said, pressing his lips together, obviously feeling awkward, “Just trying to be nice.”
You gave him a genuine smile, “No problem. Sleep well.”
“You too, (y/n).”
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Waking up you were almost shocked to see the weather. Yesterday the sun was still shining while today it was pouring like you never saw before. The sky was dark and grey and your whole farm seemed quite sad, making you wish you could just stay in bed all day, just being lazy, reading, eating and maybe fantasizing about a certain someone.
Checking your phone you saw a text from Jimin: it’s going to storm today, you have to make sure all the animals are in the barn and safe, please. i’m getting food for tonight. see you later, favorite cousin.
You immediately threw on a thick cardigan and brushed your teeth, hurrying to get things done before the weather got even worse. Looking in the mirror you scoffed for a second at your sad reflection – your hair was in a very messy bun and your under-eye circles were almost black. But there was no time to pity yourself right now, you could do that after work.
After you fed and, of course, petted the chickens and made sure that all the windows were closed tightly you ran over to the barn where the cows and goats were in. Your clothes were completely drenched even though the way between the barns was very short, the heavy rain was so strong that there was no way you could’ve stayed dry.
Entering the barn your eyebrows narrowed as you saw that the light was on and the food for the cows was already laid out.
“Uncle Minwoo?” you screamed loudly, the rain was so loud that otherwise, no one would hear you.
“Oh thank god, there you are,“ the owner of the voice was coming out of the little shed you kept your tools in, throwing one of the milking machines over to you. You barely had time to catch it because Taehyung was throwing it without caring if you’d catch it or not.
“What are you doing here?” you asked him skeptically as you sat down to the cow next to the one he was currently milking.
He glanced at you with an annoyed expression on his face - but only until he saw how wet you were from the rain. Right then, he bursted out into laughter, “Why are you not wearing a raincoat for fucks sake?” he asked you, enjoying the sight in front of him a little too much.
“I don’t even own one,“ you admitted a bit hesitant while shrugging, knowing he’d make even more fun of you.
And of course, he did.
“How can you not own a raincoat? Seriously, (y/n), you’re something else. Who on earth doesn’t own a raincoat?” he shook his head in disbelief, still laughing.
You simply pressed your lips together, coming back to your actual question, “But why are you here? Certainly not because you wanted to help me.”
“Hey, maybe I’m not as bad as you think and just wanted to be friendly for once?” he said, acting offended, “Since you’re always complaining.”
“Yeah, I doubt that,“ you answered.
Suddenly you heard a loud thunder outside, making you jump - you usually were not afraid of thunder but the sudden loud noise startled you for a second. What really scared you though was the reaction of two of your cows, immediately after they heard the thunder they let out the deepest and loudest sounds you’ve ever heard of them. They sounded terrified.
Taehyung immediately jumped up from his stool and walked over to Bertha, the small brown cow, petting her face.
“Shhhh, it's okay,“ he tried calming her down before looking over to you, “I’m always here when it storms. Bertha and Marnie are deadly afraid of the thunder, so I accompany them. It calms them down.”
For a second you thought he was fooling you but before you could say something another loud thunder was heard followed by loud sounds of the cows once again. God, you weren't sure if you ever could get used to the sounds they made.
“Wait,“ you interrupted confused as you saw Taehyung pet Bertha once again, giving her a small kiss on the side of her face, “You’re serious?”
He looked at you with a grin, “Of course I am. Go, pet Marnie a bit. She loves getting pets right under his chin, she’s such a lovely cow.”
You did as he said but not really trusting him yet.
“I didn’t know he had feelings, Marnie, did you?” you asked the cow sarcastically.
Taehyung chuckled, shaking his head, “I only have feelings Marnie and Bertha.”
Bertha was walking away from him to the hay he just put down for them to lie down for a bit, something you barely ever saw them doing,
“When I first looked into Bertha’s big brown eyes I fell in love,” he stated lovingly, petting some of the other cows while Bertha was still lying down, „Her eyes are just too pure.“
“That’s adorable,” you had to admit, “Didn’t expect that from you.”
“Are you aware that just because I’m telling you you’re stupid because you don’t own a raincoat or work on a farm with a goddamn Gucci shirt doesn't mean I'm an asshole? That’s my way of helping,” he said confidently, “You just seem to not know exactly what to do, so I’m trying to help.”
„You're still being mean while doing it,“ you insisted, not giving in.
“Whatever,“ he walked over to Bertha, who was resting on the ground, lying down next to her, “Just go inside and relax, I’ll take care of the cows.”
“No way,“ you sat down next to him, “I’ll not leave you alone with my cows. I don’t trust you.”
Of course, that was only an excuse to spend some time with the pretty boy from next door but he didn't need to know – his ego was big enough already. Both of you were now starting to relax slowly, leaning against Bertha, petting her every now and then.
“So, farmer girl, how do you like it here?” he asked you after a few seconds of silence, seeming to be actually interested in you for once.
“It’s nice,“ you shrugged as he was peaking over at you, “I like the fact that I finally am allowed to go into the pub the most.”
“I remember when we first were allowed to go in, it was like Harry Potter seeing Hogwarts for the first time,“ he remembered laughing, “and now we’re the ones that get drunk in there while the younger kids are jealous they can’t.”
“Some things never change, right?“ your eyes darted to Taehyung, who had his eyes closed and seemed to be truly relaxed in your presence for the first time since you arrived. He was using his arm as a pillow, a smile on his lips - for once a genuine smile, not the usual teasing one he gave you. The rain was pouring so hard onto the roof of the barn it sounded like applause. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself, exhaling a breathy scoff through your nose, not believing that he actually had a soft side.
“What's so funny?“ he asked curiously, still with closed eyes.
“I just love the sound of heavy rain,”  you lied, also getting into a comfortable position and closing your eyes.
Your neighbour let out a hum, agreeing with you before yawning, “Me too. It’s cozy.”
Your eyelids started to feel heavy, you didn’t have much sleep last night and your body was shivering a bit because of your wet clothes. Taehyung was snoring lightly beside you within a few minutes and before you knew it you were asleep too. You wouldn’t have expected the barn to be such a comfortable place to sleep in.
The sound of someone calling your name, you couldn't quite identify who it belonged to yet, woke you up. As you were slowly starting to realize where you were, you were just as perplexed as Taehyung, who was still beside you, seeming to just have woken up too, according to his dreamy gaze.
“Did we fall asleep?” he asked you, yawning and stretching his arms from his body.
As you looked up, Jimin was standing in front of both of you, confusion was written all over his face, “What the hell are you two doing in here? How do I keep finding you two together?”
Taehyung shrugged, sitting up as you were doing the same, “What does it look like? We obviously fell asleep.”
“Okay but why were you here together in the first place?” he asked, a smirk on his lips, “Did you make out in front of the cows? They are too young to be exposed to such wild and unholy behavior.”
Chuckling at his remark, you rubbed your eyes a bit, “Don't be noisy, please. I’m having a headache.”
“You two are just too cute,“ he teased a bit before telling you the reason he was looking for you in the first place, “Dinner’s ready. We’re having some meat with different salads and corn. Feel free to join us Tae, your mum and Olli are there too.”
“I don’t know,“ he replied, a little unsure, “I still wanted to meet up with Namjoon and Hoseok later.”
Jimin narrowed his eyebrows, “Why didn’t you ask me to join, you jerk?”
Taehyung laughed at Jimin, standing up, surprisingly offering you a hand to help you get up from the ground, “I’ll eat dinner with you and then you can come with me, alright?“ he proposed to Jimin.
Your cousin agreed happily and the three of you walked over to the big house Minwoo and Jimin lived in.
“Did you find her?” your uncle screamed from the kitchen as he heard the door open.
“Yes, I’m here,“ you shouted back as you took off your shoes.
Walking over to them, Mrs. Kim was surprised to see her son, “Oh, Tae. How lovely that you’re here,“ she smiled as cute as always, “Where have you been?”
Both, Taehyung and you felt a bit awkward telling them where exactly Jimin found them, not wanting anyone to get a wrong idea. But, of course, your annoying cousin was faster.
“They were sleeping in the barn together,“ he smirked as he told your family, enjoying every minute of it, “You two seem to get along better by now.”
Taehyung rolled his eyes, “We were literally just taking care of the cows.”
You nodded, “It’s not like we met to take a nap in the barn.”
Uncle Minwoo and Mrs. Kim both giggled a bit at the bickering between their families, “Stop teasing them. They are already flustered,“ she said lightheartedly.
Everyone sat down on the table as your uncle brought the food to the table. It smelled like you were sitting in a restaurant and you could feel your mouth watering as you saw the food.
“Thank you for letting us eat with you,“ Taehyung said in a polite manner.
“Oh, Tae!” Minwoo exclaimed joyfully, “You’re always welcome. We’re like family.”
He nodded thankful as all of you started eating. The food was truly delicious and the conversation was nice, all of you participating in it, talking about current events and life on the farm.
You weren't sure if it was because your families were there but Taehyung was unusually nice to you, not even nagging you once. He passed you the salt when you asked him to and he even asked you about your job back at home.
It was a nice evening and you cherished it, knowing that it probably was a once in a lifetime experience to have a normal, peaceful conversation with Taehyung in the same room as you.
About an hour later you started walking from the big house to the small hut and even if it only took a minute or two Taehyung walked right beside you, not leaving your side.
Maybe he truly wasn't as bad as you made him out to be – the two of you might have had some difficulties but thinking about it now he seemed to open up to you more and more. As both of you stood in front of your door, you fiddled with your hands, not knowing how to react to being all alone with him.
“Don’t let Jimin drink too much tonight. I need him to be fit tomorrow. It’s my day off,“ you joked.
“I promise to stop him if he drinks too much,“ he smiled brightly, the wrinkles around his eyes showing slightly, “I’ll see you around?”
A scoff escaped your lips before you could hold it back, “Considering the fact that you can look inside my living room from your window I think so yes.”
And with that, he started walking towards his house but even after he was gone you still couldn't stop smiling.
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The few next weeks were pretty unspectacular, working on the farm was part of your everyday life by now and your work was a routine, knowing every small step of it.
But still, today you woke up with a smile plastered on your face – it’s not like anyone besides Jimin and Minwoo, maybe Yoongi, would know it’s your birthday today but you still loved your special day.
It didn't matter that no one would know, you were quite happy that to everyone else this day would be just another day. You, on the other hand, had tons of self-care plans for tonight.
The first thing you did that morning was checking your phone, happy to see that your friends from home – or more like what used to be home to you – thought of you and send you very nice birthday greetings full of love, telling you that they missed you. In no time you got up and dressed to go over to the main house.
“So, what do you want to do today?” Jimin asked you as you had breakfast with him and your uncle. Despite you telling them that they shouldn't worry about you, they still made you some scrambled eggs and cut a lot of the vegetables from the Kim’s farm, Jimin even managed to go to the heart of the city to buy some buns for all of you.
Stretching yourself, tiredness still washing over you, you thought about his question. “I actually don’t know, I thought I'd just do some sheet masks later and watch Netflix,” you said shrugging before eating a piece of cucumber, “Why? Any ideas?”
“Why don’t you invite your friends over, (y/n)?” your uncle suggested but you’d rather not. The problem with inviting people over is you can’t leave early since they are literally at your own place and you'd never kick them out, not wanting to be unfriendly.
“No way, I don’t even think most people know about my birthday. I’ll stay lowkey about it,“  you denied your uncle's request, just wanting to have a nice night on the couch after you took a long bath – an ideal night for you.
“Why don't we have a movie night?” you suggested to your two family members but they didn’t seem to show much support to your idea.
Uncle Minwoo immediately stopped you, “I’m not letting you stay at home with your old uncle and cousin on your birthday.”
“I’d love that though. We hadn’t had a movie night in a long time,“ you pouted, hoping to convince your uncle despite knowing you had no chance against him.
“Jimin, take her to the pub, alright?” he instructed his son who was currently not listening to the conversation and instead was texting someone.
“Sure,“ he agreed with his father before looking up from his phone, “I’ll take you to the pub later, (y/n). No discussion.”
So a few hours later you found yourself in your small bathroom, putting on a real full face make-up for the first time ever since you moved here, you almost forgot how pretty you could be.
Jimin said to make sure that you looked your best since a lot of other people would be there, including the girl he ‘sometimes takes out’, as he liked to call it.
Even though you were still not fully in the mood, you started to warm up to the idea of going out as you got ready. In the end, you knew it wouldn't hurt to doll yourself up and go out every now and then – and maybe, just maybe, Taehyung would be there too.
Jimin picked you up from your place at around eight in the evening, the sky already pitch-black.
“Hey birthday kid,“ he said lovingly, “I didn't know you could look this lovely. Trying to impress a certain boy?”
Throwing him a glare that was about to end his life you were ready to hit your cousin if he wouldn’t stop mentioning your attraction towards your neighbor. You prayed he didn’t tell Tae about it, his ego was big enough and you didn’t know if you could survive if he’d become even cockier. Taehyung knew how handsome he was and that he could probably get just any girl if he wanted already so you didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
“I’ll kill you if you don’t shut your mouth,“ you threatened him even though you knew that nothing could stop Jimin's teasing ever.
Arriving at the Pub, you couldn’t help but grin like an idiot – all of your friends were waiting inside, a whole booth decorated just for you. Yoongi was the first to welcome you, hugging you tightly. “Happy Birthday, princess,“ he almost whispered into your ear before the other people were waiting for their turn to congratulate you.
Hoseok and Namjoon were there, including Namjoon’s girlfriend, that you hadn’t met before. Jungkook, of course, was there too and even gifted you some sunflower. “Those are my favorite!” you told him excited, to which he replied that he still remembered.
Jimin introduced you to his almost-girlfriend and she seemed to be a nice girl, a bit smaller than him, with cute glasses, short hair and a nose ring that she pulled off like no one else could.
And last but not least Kim Taehyung was standing in front of you, trying to look cold and unbothered like always, but his eyes were sparkling a bit, giving away that he wasn't as cool as he wanted to be.
“You’re here!” you gasped, genuinely excited to see him, “I feel honored.”
He shook his head joyful. “Don’t let it get to your head. Happy birthday, farmer girl,“ for the first time ever Taehyung hugged you, and you hated to admit that it felt quite comforting – the hug didn’t feel awkward or forced at all, he even had his hand on your head, right in your hair.
Yoongi and Jimin, who were standing behind Taehyung, were inspecting the hug you shared, drawing hearts with their fingers in the air for only you to see as you turned red.
“(Y/n), we got a present for you! Come on, sit down,” Hoseok happily singsang from the table and Taehyung let you go, way too early for your liking, but you weren’t complaining – you appreciated what you got this far.
As you sat down beside Yoongi, Taehyung sat right next to you, pretty close since you were sitting on a small bank with five people.
The booth was decorated with a paper chain that spelled “Happy Birthday”, a few presents were waiting for you on the table, right next to many glasses and several bottles of alcohol.
“This one is from me, Hoseok and Seokjin,“ Namjoon said excited, handing you a present.
Opening it you couldn’t help but pout at their heartwarming idea: They gifted you a framed picture the four of you when you were little, you were maybe around three to four years old.
„God, we were so small,“ you chuckled, studying the picture.
Hoseok smiled wholeheartedly, “There’s a little wheel on the side that you have to move,“ he explained and so you did – as you turned the little wheel more pictures of your friends and you appeared, all of them from different years.
“I love it,“ you smiled at them, “I'll find a special place to display it, I promise.”
“Open our’s next,“ Yoongi said, an untrustworthy smirk on his face. “It’s from me and Jimin.”
Just because you knew the two of you too well, you didn’t trust them at all.
“I bet it’ll get also a very, very special place at your home,“ Jimin assured you and you just knew at that point they probably got you something very stupid.
And they did – you let out a deep breath, shaking your head in disbelief.
“Thanks, I really needed that,“ you said sarcastically as you hold the box of the vibrator they gifted you in your hand.
Both of the boys bursted out into laughter, making you sigh.
„You think you're so funny, don't you? How old are you? Fourteen?“ you snipped both of their foreheads but still, a chuckle managed to slip out. Not really because you thought the present was funny but more because the boys were so amused by their own idea.
“We know the nights get lonely here,“ Jimin said, still laughing like a teenager, “Much fun with it. Just call Taehyung if you need any help with it.”
“Yeah, no, thanks, I think I can handle that on my own,“ you quickly responded before anyone else could join their nagging, “I really need a shot now. Otherwise, I won't be able to deal with you.”
Yoongi immediately poured a round of shots for everyone, “To our little (y/n).”
All of your friends clinked glasses and downed the shot. Within a few hours, one shot became quite a few, too many to count them. Jimin and his girl were making out heavily in the corner of the pub – much to your disgust. While you were happy for your cousin you still could imagine better things than seeing your family member's tongue in someone's mouth.
Yoongi, you, Seokjin, Namjoon and Taehyung were currently playing a card drinking game that you not only never heard of before but was also killing you at a fast pace.
“(Y/n), your turn,“ Taehyung glanced at you, raising his eyebrow – his cheeks were red and the sloppy smile on his face gave away that he also was at least a bit intoxicated by now, “Red or black?”
That was the whole point of the game, basically the only rule. You had to say a color and if the card didn’t have the color you had to take a shot. Seokjin said it was the best game to get really drunk really fast, and boy, he was right.
“Red”, you answered or to be exact, mumbled since you had a hard time pronouncing your words clearly by now.
And, of course, luck wasn’t on your side - as Taehyung turned around the card it showed black. “Tae~“ you let out a whine as he laughed, “I literally cannot drink this shot or else I’ll throw up.”
Your head was turning and your stomach felt warm and tingly, a part of you suddenly felt playful and giggly, which was pretty unusual for you. Looking at Taehyung you felt something deep down in your stomach – the way his rather long and curly hair fell into his face and his tanned skin was glowing was a beautiful sight. God, you really wanted to blame it on the booze but deep down you were aware that you were just fooling yourself.
“You’re no fun,“ he almost whined before taking the shot, “I’ll take it for you since it’s your birthday.”
“Oh, what a gentleman you are,“ you nudged him.
“Just trying to get drunk,“ he shrugged laughing before downing the shot as if it was nothing.
Your glance waved over to Jungkook, who was e the drunkest, his eyes slowly closing. “Jungkook!” you poked his upper arm, not sure if you should laugh or be concerned, “Are you passing out?”
“Hmm?” he responded, trying to open his eyes but failing, “Oh no. I’m just taking a nap.”
You peeked to Taehyung beside you, questioning him what to do, “Are you going to babysit him?”
He scoffed, “That isn’t my problem to deal with.”
About two hours later you decided that it was time to go home, having to admit that you did have fun despite wanting to stay home at first. You thanked everyone and grabbed your bag.
“What about you?” you asked Taehyung who was sitting on his phone, texting someone with his eyebrows furrowed, “You’re staying?”
His eyes met yours as he looked up from his phone, “No, I’m walking you home. Give me a second.”
You decided to wait outside, in need of some fresh air to sober you up.
Slowly, you started to walk towards your home, knowing Taehyung would be able to catch up in no time. And he did, of course.
“Oh!” he looked at you with wide eyes as he arrived by your side, before opening his bag, looking for something, “It’s your birthday!”
“No shit, Sherlock,“ you responded unimpressed at his sudden realization, walking through the little city at night, still not used to how beautiful the stars were here, „You just got that now?“
“No, wait. I actually got you something,“ the boy mumbled and you thought you heard wrong for a second. At least until Taehyung handed you a box, a rather big one.
“Are you serious?” you asked surprised, suddenly feeling shy. This morning you were convinced he didn’t even know it was your birthday but now he was standing in front of you, with a present that was neatly wrapped in yellow wrapping paper.
“Don’t make a big deal out of it, please,“ he chuckled as you two walked through the dark night, only a few lanterns on your way home, “Just open it. It felt wrong not to get you anything. I mean, we’re neighbors now, and also co-workers.”
Your arm nudged him, playfully asking, “Maybe even friends?”
His laugh seemed to be even louder and happier when he’s drunk, “Says who? You wish!” before immediately adding, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Maybe even that. Now open it. Let’s sit down.“
Your neighbor gestured at the bank on the side of the way, a few steps away.
He took out his phone to turn on the flashlight so you could see, sitting dangerously close to you. “Why didn’t you give it to me earlier?” you asked him curiously.
“You know, I gotta keep my cool reputation in front of them,“ he joked.
“Ah, can’t let them know that you have a crush on me?” you blurted out, trying to flirt, knowing you would never say those things if it wasn’t for all the shots you drank earlier.
“You’re a pain in the ass,“ he mocked you a bit, “Will you please just open it now? There are a few smaller things.”
As you ripped open the wrapping paper you let out a laugh, impressed by his first present, “A raincoat? I could’ve seen that one coming.”
“I still can’t believe you don’t own one. Look underneath, there’s also a shirt you can use for work so you won’t ruin your good clothes,“ he said, almost proud of his idea and it was adorable.
The shirt was grey and oversized - and also, there was a picture printed onto it. Taehyung let out another laugh, covering his mouth with his hand to stop him from laughing harder, before you could see what was on it.
As he shined his flashlight on the picture you were not only extremely amused but also very amazed that he did that for you, even though he obviously was trying to be funny, you genuinely liked it – the picture was a selfie of Taehyung, giving a thumbs up, right next to his favorite being on this earth, Bertha. Underneath the picture the sentence ‘(Y/n), you can do it. I hope.’ was written in big letters.
“You’re seriously the worst,“ you joined his laughter, wondering how in the hell he got this idea. The atmosphere was almost friendly – a new step for the two of you. Not that you didn’t like him before, you just thought that he didn’t like you back.
“I think you’ll look quite good in it, (y/n),“ he smiled proudly, definitely satisfied with himself.
“You’re such a flirt,“ you said sarcastically.
The last gift in the box really got to you though - it immediately brought back a lot of memories, cherished ones, of your childhood. An overwhelming rush of sentiment came over you as you couldn't believe your eyes.
“Tae, I–” you were looking for the right words to say but none came to your head, “Is it what I think it is?”
“If you think it’s your old music box that played Somewhere Over The Rainbow over and over again, then it is, yes,“ he replied, playing it cool as if it wasn't a big thing.
You totally forgot about it until now, back in the day you always used to play it before going to bed, falling asleep immediately to the soothing sound of it – back then it didn't matter where you were: you wouldn't fall asleep without the petite woodbox playing your favorite song.
“Where did you even get this?“ you asked him, gulping.
“Oh, Minwoo gave it to me to calm the cows on thunder days,“ he said amused.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,“ you chuckled, still inspecting the music box. It seemed to be even prettier than you remembered it.
“Do you like it?” he asked, turning towards you, “I know how obsessed you were with it as a child so I thought you’d like to have it back. The cows didn’t like it anyway.”
Your eyes met his, not knowing what to say. He was so cool about it when to you, this might be one of the most meaningful presents you've gotten in a long time. The fact that he even remembered how in love you were with this music box and how thoughtful of him it was to give it back to you. Slowly you put the box down, still feeling a bit overwhelmed. It was probably stupid, for him it was just a simple present and you were overreacting, right? But still, it was so much more than you would’ve expected. Especially from him
“I love it,“ you assured him, the wrinkles around his eyes deeper than you’ve ever seen them before. “Thank you so much.”
Before he could say something to ruin the moment you wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your face in his collar. It took him a few moments to realize what was happening, a hug was something he didn’t expect at all, but it did feel nice. His arms carefully found your waist and hugged you back.
You could see how red his cheeks were as your hug ended but for once you decided to not tease him, not wanting to ruin a genuinely nice moment. The two of you didn’t have those very often.
“Shall we go home?” Taehyung asked softly as he stood up, waiting for you to join him.
The two of you were walking for a while, way slower than usual. It might be the alcohol in your veins or simply the secret desire to spend some more time together, alone and outside of the farm.
“Be honest,“ you started carelessly, it almost sounded like you were singing it, “You do think I’m cute.”
Looking up to Taehyung you saw that he was smiling and didn’t seem to care about your teasing anymore.
“I do think you’re cute. That doesn’t make you less any annoying though,“ he replied, his tone almost playful. As you were walking your shoulders were lightly brushing every now and then, a rush of excitement going through your body every single time.
“Now you be honest. You were totally checking me out when you saw me on the day you moved here,“ he countered, the conversation light.
You let out a small scoff, “I maybe would have if I hadn’t been to busy trying to free myself from your grip since you thought I was stealing your chicken,“ you snapped at him and Taehyung let out a laugh at that memory. Even though it wasn’t long ago it felt like years, considering how much your relationship developed since then.
“Your turn. You would’ve gone home sooner but you were waiting to walk me home,“ the vibe Taehyung gave you told you it was okay to dig a bit deeper.
“Now you’re just being overconfident, (y/n),“ he laughed and you thought about how his laugh is so different than his mum’s. His mother's laugh was light and charming while his laugh was deep and full of joy, almost bold and loud.
“If you say I’m wrong you’re lying,“ you insisted while looking up to the beautiful night sky, not letting loose. Even though you were a bit cold you didn’t really care, you could walk and talk for a few more hours without complaining.
“I never said you’re wrong,“ he answered quietly, now more soft and serious, “But don’t let it get to your head, I know my mum would kill me if she heard that you had to walk home alone.”
“You’re so in love with me dude, how gross,“ you joked, not able to stop your usual nagging.
By now it seemed like that was Taehyung’s and your’s thing somehow. It was an open secret that there was something between the two of you, whatever that was. Maybe, you and Taehyung were still denying it but your friends weren't completely wrong when they talked about your relationship to each other.
“I really don’t know if I wanna shove you off this bridge or kiss your annoying ass,“ he stated shamelessly, trying to sound annoyed but his mood was just as good as yours and the cheeky flirting was something he missed over the last years.
It’s been too long since he met someone he liked so much that he didn’t have to care about what he said. Spending time with you made him feel careless. The night air and the sky that was full of stars just loosened up the mood even more.
Even though your heart was beating faster at his comment you tried to remain cool – he said it so casually as if the topic of kissing you was something completely normal to him, making you realize that maybe Taehyungand you were indeed becoming something more than friends.
“Oh, can I pick?”, you grinned at him.
“No,“ he answered easily while pushing you towards the edge of the bridge you were currently walking on, making you gasp a bit, while trying to balance yourself so you wouldn’t fall over the low wooden railing.
What exactly was he doing? Just in the right moment, he held you, his arm around your waist, being a bit too close to you which was making your heart beat insanely fast. As you looked at him your eyes were opened wide, the shock written all over your face.
Taehyung still was holding you close, giving you the brightest smile ever, his expression full of joy, “Did you really think that I’d let you fall?”
“Yes!“ you almost shouted out of shock, a hundred percent sure that he’d actually do something like that, “If anyone in this town would then it would be you.”
He acted a bit offended, as he pulled your body a bit closer to his again, your intestines feeling all over the place. Half of your body was still bent over the bridge as Taehyungs hold was the only support that stopped you from falling right into the water. His face came near yours and at this moment you wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on yours.
“Well, if you think that lowly of me,“ he started, before pausing his sentence, you could swear that you could feel his breath tingling on your lips and see his eyes wandering down to look at your them – but before anything else could happen you started losing balance as Taehyung let go of your body, making you fall right into the lake behind you.
Of course, he’d do something like that. You should've guessed that.
As you came up again you were drenched. The water was at least still warm enough to not make you shiver while climbing up to the bridge again. Taehyung was laughing wholeheartedly, his one hand once again covering his mouth, while holding his other hand out for you so he could help you.
You immediately took his offer, taking a tight grip on his hand before getting your revenge – within seconds Taehyung forcefully joined you in the water, his eyes popping out when you completely caught him off guard.
“I should’ve seen that coming,“ he admitted, now also completely wet but still amused, “I deserved that.”
The two of you were chuckling, no one of you seemed to want to get out of the water for now.
“Remember the one time we were having a contest here about who can stay underwater the longest when we were children?” you asked him thinking back to older days, one of the few memories you had with him.
He nodded while walking towards you, leaning his back against the bridge. His body was close to yours, his face facing yours, “I remember you and Jimin being afraid because you thought I fainted because I let my body swim on the surface with my head under the water still.”
Hitting his chest, you squinted your eyes, “You were the worst, seriously! Why would you do this to me? I was so afraid.”
His arm found your hip, resting lazily on it - you wondered if he’d also do that if he was completely sober, “To make good memories.”
“Well, that’s also about our only memory because you always avoided me when we were younger,“ you stated, a bit salty.
His laughter sounded different this time, if you didn’t know better you’d almost say there was some kind of admiration in it. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,“ he apologized, putting his hands up in the air, still laughing before looking at you once again – it’s like you completely forgot about being in the water now in the middle of the night.
“Wanna know a secret?” he asked you, whispering as if you had to be careful to not get caught.
“Always,“ you answered eager as your eyes widened in excitement.
“I avoided you because I had the biggest crush on you and Yoongi always said girls suck and if anyone of us ever kissed a girl they’d be kicked out of the gang,“ he admitted, smiling back at the memory.
“Okay, but Yoongi was literally my first kiss,“ you confessed to him, “I think he knew exactly why he told you that.”
Now it was Taehyung who was in shock, not you. “You’re kidding me,“ he sounded offended, “I can’t believe he’d play me like this because of some chick.”
“Hello? I’m right here,“ you scoffed, shaking your head amused.
“Oh, I bet you’d rather be where Yoongi is, huh?” he stared you down for a second before breaking character and starting to laugh, “But seriously, he never even told me. He knew I’d fight him about it.”
“It must be hard to always be as dramatic as you are,“ you scoffed, as you got out of the water again, starting to shiver a bit, “Let’s go home, I’m cold.”
He got out of the water too and you tried hard not to stare at his chest that was completely showing through his white shirt.
“You should have put on a jacket,“ he shrugged, acting as if it's your fault that you were completely drenched and cold.
“You little shit,“ you countered as the two of you were walking towards your home, “I’m only cold because you pushed me into the lake.”
“I had fun tonight,“ you admitted to him as you were standing in front of your door once again, “You’re not awful.”
“Thank you?”, he laughed unsure before he continued, “You’re also not awful, (y/n).”
“I mean, you were not the nicest in the beginning, I thought you hated me. But now, I think you tolerate me,“ you said, a winning smile on your face.
“Believe it or not, I think you’re pretty cool,” he mirrored your smile, nodding.
“I’ll let my diary know about that,” you assured him.
He just stood there for a second, looking at you. Both of you didn’t want to part, enjoying time with each other but you didn’t want things to get awkward.
“I’m sorry I pushed you into the water,“ he mentioned, laughing while apologizing.
You rolled your eyes at his half-assed apology, “Yeah sure. You better make up for that.”
He nodded, “I will. I promise. Good night, (y/n).“
Suddenly you felt him hugging you, not expecting it once again. Three hugs in one day were something you didn’t expect at all when you woke up this morning.
“Sleep well,“ you told him as you closed the door behind you, removing your make up, changing into comfortable clothes and letting yourself fall into your bed, falling asleep with a smile on your lips. You were definitely making progress.
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A few days after your birthday and the situation with Taehyung, it was about time to talk to someone about your confusing feelings. Yoongi was the first person that came to your mind, definitely not wanting to talk to Jimin about it.
As the two of you were sitting outside on your porch, drinking a beer and enjoying the sunset slowly going down, you decided to tell him about what happened after you and Taehyung left on your birthday.
“He gifted you your old music box?” he asked confused, almost shocked, “That’s so much better than the vibrator we gifted you, dammit.”
You let out a laugh, “Anything is better than that.”
“Well, apparently you won’t be needing it any time soon if you and Taehyung continue to fall in love at that pace,“ your best friend gave you a small wink.
“Yoongi,“ you let out a pout, “I really don’t know what I should do. He was about to kiss me by the lake but instead, he let me fall into the water.”
He was trying his hardest to contain his laughter as you told the story but he couldn’t help it, “You really think he’s the one you want? I bet not even Jungkook would behave that awkward.”
Chuckling, you shrugged, “I guess I just like a challenge.”
Yoongi nodded, “He definitely is one. Bare with him, it’s been some time. His last girlfriend and him broke up quite some time ago.”
When Yoongi mentioned the word gilfriend you felt curiosity awakening inside of you, “What was she like?”
Taking a sip of his beer, he glanced at you, a bit pitiful, “Are you sure you wanna do this to yourself?”
“I’m just curious,“ you assured him, „No hard feelings.“
Before Yoongi could start telling you about her you were disturbed by your cousin, who just finished his work, a beer in his hand as he sat down on the free chair on your table, „What are you talking about?”
“My hopeless crush,“ you said, laughing.
“What else,“ he shrugged, unimpressed, “You could still date Jungkook, you know.”
You shook your head before turning back to Yoongi, “So, tell me about her, I can’t imagine him with a girl at all.”
“Are we talking about Elly?” Jimin asked confused, trying to catch up with your conversation.
“Yes,” Yoongi said, trying to start once again before getting interrupted by Jimin, also once again.
“She wasn’t shit, (y/n). Don’t worry about her. I never liked her. They weren’t even really a couple.”
Yoongi rolled his eyes, “She wasn’t all bad, Jimin. She was actually quite nice at the beginning. She’s from the town next to ours, the granddaughter of the owner of the library – we were friends with her back then when she still visited every weekend. I guess she was into Tae from the first second and he was, well, frustrated. So they became friends with benefits. Nothing too serious at first.”
“(Y/n), I really don’t get why you’d wanna know. You’ll just hurt yourself,“ your cousin seemed to worry, clearly disagreeing with your curiosity.
“They broke up so I won’t be hurt, I just can’t imagine him in a relationship at all. I need some information for research,“ you argued.
“He was a good boyfriend, I guess,“ Jimin thought about it, taking a big gulp of his beer, “Like he visited her often and made sure to bring her to every event or birthday. But one of them would always start a fight and it got so annoying over time. Every time he brought her I was afraid to say anything to him because if I only said one wrong word she’d start to discuss with him.”
Yoongi now interrupted him, “Well, it wasn’t only her who started fights, to be fair. Taehyung often enough started one too, whenever he was in a bad mood he’d always find a reason to fight.”
A scoff came out of your mouth, “I already thought he’d be one to pick fights, to be honest.”
“Speaking of the devil,“ Yoongi nodded towards the house of the Kim’s and as you turned around you saw Taehyung jogging over to you. He seemed to be in a good mood, a smile on his lips, something rather unusual.
“Why are you having a nice evening and no one cared to call me?” he asked as he arrived in front of you, holding up a big plate with many different pieces of cakes on it, “I brought cake.”
Jimin immediately took the plate and set it down in front of him as Taehyung sat down on the free seat on the bench beside you.
“We were just talking shit about you,“ Jimin started, getting up to get some forks from inside.
“Why? What did I do?” he asked, already sounding offended, ready to defend himself without knowing what even seemed to be the problem.
“I just told them about how you let me fall into the lake,“ you huffed, salty, not letting it go easily.
“Why would you do that?” he asked in a whiny tone, “Aren’t they teasing us enough already?”
“I don’t care about that. I still can’t believe you’ve done that. I could’ve caught a cold.”
He now crossed his arms in front of his chest, “You didn’t though, right? I brought you cake as an apology, just to find you hanging out with our friends, without me?”
Yoongi let out a laugh at your constant bickering, “Young love must be so nice.”
“Be quiet,“ you gave him a warning glance before you turned back to the real enemy here, “You think cake can just fix the trust I lost in you?”
He let out a laugh, “You’re being overdramatic.”
Actually, you couldn’t care less that he let you fall into the lake. It was just fun to pick fights with him, “You’re being an asshole.”
He scoffed before continuing your discussion in a mocking voice, “Wanted me to kiss you so bad that you can’t get over the fact that I didn’t?”
You let out a small gasp, not expecting his comeback. Yoongi and Jimin were both trying no to laugh watching the two of you fight.
“If you think that, you’re truly delusional,“ you stated, even though everyone here knew he was right, “The only reason I didn’t kill you right then was because I was so relieved you didn’t kiss me.”
He snorted, not ready to give up yet, “Sure, just keep on telling it to yourself until you start to believe it.”
And this is how you spent the rest of the evening. Three of your closest friends, cake, one or two or maybe even more beers, a beautiful pink sunset and most important - in the place you loved to call your home.
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“(Y/n), give me a hand, please,“ your neighbor screamed from the other side of the farm, struggling to put up the pavilion that was supposed to cover the tables from the weather.
It was a warm autumn day but you knew that it could basically start to pour any second. Quickly you jogged over to Taehyung, leaving Jimin alone with the other preparations for the big harvest festival that was held once a year on the farm. It was a tradition you used to love as a child and you were more than happy to participate again this year.
As you walked over you couldn’t help but notice how mesmerizing he looked once again. There was sweat dripping down his face while he gave you a light and exhausted chuckle, holding up one side of the pavilion with his rather strong arms. The white shirt and grey sweatpants he was wearing might as well be the death of you. Oh god, you definitely hated being attracted to him.
“What’s up, Kim?” you asked, desperately trying to sound as unbothered as possible.
He, on the other hand, continued to smile, shaking his head, “Can you please hold up the other side over there?” he asked, pointing to it, “I’ll do the rest.”
You went over and held up the other side, having to stand on your tiptoes. “Are you excited for tonight?” you asked him, desperate to make conversation with him. Even though by now Taehyung was being very nice to you, you were still always trying to make him like you. Even though Jimin and Yoongi assured you he likes you quite a lot by now you still wanted him to admit to it. His attention was your favorite thing at the moment, you couldn’t get enough of it.
He shrugged while concentrating on a screw he was currently trying to get in, “Not really. It’s not gonna be different than any other year.”
“I’m here now so it is gonna be different than before,” you said, making him look up from his work for a second, his eyes finding yours.
“So, you’re going to make the harvest festival interesting again?” you saw the smirk on his face before continuing, “Don’t get up my hopes.”
“Share a bottle of liquor with me and I bet we’ll have a lot of fun,” you stated boldly, immediately embarrassed at your way too obvious flirting. At this point, you were sure that he was very aware of your obvious crush on him. He was many things. Rude, annoying, sometimes even a bit mean but delusional wasn’t one of them.
“Are you flirting with me, (y/n)?” he asked almost a bit teasingly.
“I am,” you said, trying to sound confident but you were pretty sure your now deep red cheeks were giving you away.
He seemed to be amused and he shook his head in what seemed to be joy.
“Not bad,” was all he said, shrugging before his full attention was back on building the pavilion.
You looked around the big farm as Taehyung was working. It looked beautiful, there were a lot of tables with benches, all of them had some flowers and candles on top of them, you could only imagine how cute it would look as soon as the sky was dark and all the candles were lit.
Jimin was currently preparing some baskets filled with eggs, milk, some wool, all different kinds of fruits and vegetables and even some feathers you picked up from the pond where the ducks stayed as a lucky charm – your uncle and Taehyung’s mother would sell them later on, the people always loved those little baskets.
Taehyung’s mother was inside, preparing food for the night. She was overdoing herself, cooking four different kinds of soups, baking too many loaves of bread for the visitors to eat, she even has been baking all kind of cakes since yesterday night.
“Your mum is an angel,” you mumbled more to yourself than to him but Taehyung still heard you, laughing a bit.
“She just really loves the harvest festival. But yes, I agree, she really is,” he answered without looking at you, “There’s gonna be plenty of leftovers tomorrow, I’ll bring you some if you want.”
You nodded even though he didn’t see, “I’d love that.”
“Hey, (y/n)!” Gus, the owner of the restaurant, came up to you. He drove up here in his truck, the whole back of it filled with different meals that he contributed for tonight, “Where should I put the fish and meat?”
Taehyung told you that you could leave and help Gus for now so you showed him where the food was being served. There was a long in the middle of the farm, where Gus’ and Mrs. Kim’s food was going to be sold later on. It was opposite to the little dancefloor your uncle built earlier, he even got a pretty good sound system for the night. You already anticipated seeing all of the older people dance later, it was always very cute to see them be happy. All the tables to sit on were placed in between the dancefloor and the food.
As you were helping Gus’ to carry the food you saw Yoongi and his parents coming up to you.
“Hey cutie,” your best friend greeted you as he put down the three beer crates he was casually caring like they didn’t weigh anything, “How are things going?”
“I’m really excited for tonight,” you cheered with a wide smile on your lips, “My last harvest festival was years ago, I still had to go to bed at eight o’clock at that time.”
He let out a laugh, “Oh, that’s when the fun is just starting.”
You only managed to finish all the work an hour before the first people came to the festival. Within no time the whole farm was filled with people as the sun was slowly going down.
You didn’t expect so many people to actually show up. Not only the whole village was attending tonight’s fest but a lot of them also brought their family from out of town, a lot of faces you’ve never seen before.
It luckily didn’t rain yet and you were hoping it would stay that way for the rest of the night. The sky was dark now and all the candles were lit, making the atmosphere cozy. People were eating, drinking and enjoying themselves, some even danced to the 80′s music that was playing already.
You were sitting on the side of a table, just looking around and appreciating everything as a few of your friends came up to you.
“Don’t you wanna eat something?” Jungkook asked you, nodding towards the table with the food, “We were just about to grab something, join us.”
“Let’s also grab a drink or two,” your cousin, who clearly already had more than just a drink or two, his bright pink cheeks exposing him, shouted as he came up behind Jungkook, Yoongi and Yoongi’s girlfriend.
Your mouth watered as you saw, and especially smelled, the food that was offered. Now you were very thankful that you didn’t have the time to eat all day. All the food looked amazing and you didn’t even know where to start. Hoseok and Namjoon both went for the meat but you wanted to start with something more light for now, looking at all the soups Mrs. Kim made.
“Try mum’s Italian wedding soup, it’s the best,” you flinched lightly as Taehyung came up behind you out of nowhere, his arm casually resting on your shoulder.
You tried to play it cool in front of your friends but inside you were all tense, just because of Tae being so close to you.
“I’ll have that then,” you agreed, telling his mother who was handing out food tonight. Both you and Taehyung offered her to help out earlier but she insisted that you should just enjoy the evening.
“Of course, my darling,” she poured some of the soup into a big cup, giving you and her son a wide smile, “You two look just adorable together.”
You felt yourself blushing but you were pretty sure that no one would notice in the dark.
“Right? We’ve been telling them the whole time,” Hoseok joined, excitement in his eyes, agreeing with his friends’ mother. You heard a deep, frustrated groan from Taehyung.
“Guys,” he squinted his eyes at both of them with a warning glance but he still was resting his arm on you, not even thinking about removing it, “Can you mind your own business? Just for once?”
Yoongi chuckled at the two of you, knowing exactly that you were trying your hardest to keep your cool, “You know they won’t leave you alone until something happens.”
He was right. But you weren’t sure if and when things would happen. And what those things even would be. When it came to Taehyung you felt more clueless than ever before. Not even your math class in senior year seemed that confusing.
“Yeah, because no one in this town knows how to respect the boundaries of other people,” Taehyung bitterly said through gritted teeth, slightly annoyed but everyone just let out a laugh, not taking him seriously, thinking it’s funny that he gets so worked up over some simple teasing.
“I’m sorry (y/n),” Mrs. Kim turned towards you, apologizing, but you could still see a little amused smile on her lips, “I hope I didn’t make you feel uncomfortable.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I don’t mind at all,” you assured her, “Don’t apologize.”
“I’ll go and get us something to drink,” Yoongi offered after he got some food, his lips already pressed against his girlfriend’s neck again before turning to you, “Save us a seat.”
You waited for the rest to get something to eat and wondered what was suddenly going on with Taehyung, he wasn’t leaving your side at all which was pretty unusual for him. Last week he was still too afraid to give you a birthday present in front of the boys and now he was suddenly even touching you in front of everyone?
“I’m sorry,” he whispered for only you to hear as all of you were looking for a table to sit on. On the way, he let go of you but still was walking right next to you. Not that you minded, you enjoyed the sudden attention he was giving you, you just had to get used to it.
“What for?” you asked him, shrugging lightly, “I don’t care if the guys tease us. They think we’re into each other, they won’t stop anyway.”
“Well, they aren’t so dumb after all, huh?” he still whispered to you, chuckling a bit as he turned around to the others, pointing to a free table, “Let’s sit down over there.”
This little shit was flirting with you.
The soup was amazing. The alcohol was pouring. The atmosphere was loud and filled with banter and laughter. Yoongi and his girl were making out in front of everyone in no time, literally being all over each other. Hoseok, Jungkook and Jimin were screaming along to ‘Come on Eileen’ playing in the background, doing those stupid fortnite dances to the old music, constantly motivating each other to do stupid moves and having the time of their lives. Namjoon was talking to his girlfriend, the majority of your friends still had no idea that they were actually dating and you wondered how they managed to keep it a secret in such a small town like this.
You were just laughing every now and then, enjoying everyone’s presence - an evening like this was exactly what you needed, full of friends and possibilities to make amazing memories.
Looking back at the fact that in the beginning, you were so afraid to start a new life here was ridiculous by now – this was your home, you were doing the thing you love with people you wouldn’t trade for anything. Not in a hundred years would you have thought that you’d find your happiness in this small town.
You carefully dared to look over to Taehyung, hoping he wouldn’t catch you staring – you felt tingly, it might be the wine or the butterflies in your stomach but you felt so much comfort and happiness that you wanted to explode.
The way he was laughing was making you go insane – you got lost in the wrinkles around his eyes and his side profile that seemed to be the most perfect thing you’ve ever seen. It was so nice and rare to see him letting go, being completely relaxed and warm. The longer you looked at him the more you craved something deep down in your stomach.
It felt like you were in a movie, the world around you blurred and slowing down while all you could concentrate on was the guy next to you: The guy, that used to be so cold to you and opened up step by step, going from thinking you were stealing chickens to flirting with you in front of everyone.
You secretly hoped that the two of you were figuring out the future of your relationship rather sooner than later, slowly growing impatient. It was obvious to anyone who’d spent only five minutes around you: There was an undeniable tension, a chemistry that both of you felt.
Still staring at him while everyone was laughing and talking he stole a glance from you, seeing that your attention was already completely on him. His features softened as soon as his eyes met yours and the big laughter on his face turned into a small but impactful smile - immediately you felt a rush of confidence running through your veins, your heart beating faster. You hated how you were literally melting for him but you knew exactly that you couldn’t fight it so you might as well let him in.
His eyes were still locked with yours, no one daring to break eye contact. You wondered how this moment could feel so intimate when there were literally 200 people gathered around you – it felt like you were all alone, everyone else was busy cracking jokes while the two of you were busy falling in love. Or at least that was what it felt like.
He gave you a small nod before sitting a bit closer to you, your thighs now touching. “Stop flirting with me. I might just break my cool character and blush,” he joked, making you chuckle before the two of you brought your attention back to your friends who were currently cheering for Jungkook and Jimin, both trying to down their beer faster than the other one.
You shook your head, letting out a laugh at them being messy. Taehyung’s hand sneakily rested on your lower back and you hoped it would stay there for a while.
Jimin finished first and laughed at Jungkook, who was still drinking, “Oh, I can’t believe you thought you could win against me. I’m the king when it comes to drinking,” he bragged.
Yoongi, who was for once breaking free from his girlfriend, shook his head at Jimin, “You’re overconfident. Taehyung, finish him.”
Taehyung let out a groan, “Don’t make me do this.”
“Let’s go Taehyungie, I bet I can beat you easily,” Jimin challenged him, knowing exactly how to provoke his friend.
“Dude, don’t do this to yourself, you’ll lose,” Hoseok yelled, “No one can beat Taehyung, you should know better than that.”
“I trained. And Taehyung didn’t show off his skills in a long time, I think you’re underestimating me,” he insisted, opening another bottle of beer and putting it down in front of Tae.
“Jimin, take it easy. It’s your fourth beer in what? Twenty minutes?” you interrupted, “I don’t wanna clean up all alone tomorrow because you are dying.”
“It’s harvest festival (y/n),” he whined while opening another bottle of wine for you, pouring something into your glass, “You gotta start learning how we do it here.”
Taehyung shook his head, letting out another deep sigh, “You have no chance against me,” he held up his beer and waited for Jimin to do the same.
Jimin had a satisfied smile on his lips, ready to give it his all, “I’m going to fight for your title.”
Taehyung let out a laugh, “That’s cute. Much luck trying.”
All of you were counting down from three and the guys started chugging down the beer like it was a life or death situation. It was stupid and childish but all of you were enjoying it, rooting for Tehyung. If all of your friends could agree on one thing then it would be that Jimin needs to be taken down back to earth every now and then.
You looked at him, your mouth slightly open. One thing you definitely didn’t know about Taehyung was how fast he could drink. He always seemed like the most reasonable and mature guy so you were kind of taken by surprise to see how he downed the bottle in the matter of a few seconds.
“Ha!” he let out, laughing as he put his bottle down, “You’re a fool, dude.”
Jimin let out a laugh, shrugging, “Never thought I had a chance, just wanted you to drink a bit. Who’s the fool now?”
“I didn’t know you could drink like that,” you turned to Taehyung.
“This guy used to get so wasted every weekend, he just acts all pure in front of you,” Namjoon exposed his friend, laughing.
You raised your eyebrow at Taehyung, “Oh, let’s see who can handle more then, shall we?”
Taehyung’s eyes widened surprised, not expecting you to challenge him when it comes to drinking, “You might regret that.”
“I don’t mind regretting a thing or two,” you poured the two of you some shots.
“That’s the spirit,” Jimin cheered, opening another bottle of beer.
Taehyung and you were clinking glasses, “To Bertha!” he mentioned his favorite before both of you downed the shots, making a grimace as the bitter liquor went down your throat.
“That shit tastes horrible,” you stated, making him laugh.
“No one said getting drunk is easy,” he countered before immediately pouring you another shot, “But you wanted this. We can stop if you can’t take it, you know.”
“Definitely not,” you scoffed raising your eyebrow at him and holding up the shot glass, “It’s going to be a long, long night.”
“Oh, don’t promise what you can’t keep,” he flirted amused, laughing at you before getting ready to down the next shot, “To you and me.”
Nodding, you gave him a smile, “Whatever that might mean.”
You didn’t know what was faster: The time flying by or your alcohol level rising. It was around midnight now and the night just started. All of you were still drinking eagerly, sharing stupid stories and daring each other to do even more stupid things. The music was loud and the older people were dancing like there’s no tomorrow while you were still sitting at the table, playing cards and taking videos and photos of each other.
Some other girls around your age joined your group, you didn’t know them but the rest did. It was a nice group of people overall.
You still were watching the elders dance, smiling to yourself as your uncle and Taehyung’s mum were dancing with each other, seemingly having the best time.
“Aren’t they cute?” Tae turned to you with a grin, his hand resting right above your knee, slightly squeezing it. You could tell the alcohol had its impact on him because he was getting more touchy by minute, his eyes sparkling.
You nodded, feeling a bit nostalgic seeing them together. They always have been close, both of them lost their significant others early and were left with their children and a whole farm to manage. “It’s nice that they’re having fun. I wish they’d take a break more often.”
Taehyung hummed in agreement, his thumb caressing your leg, “I’m happy Mum has Minwoo. They are always there for each other and talk shit about me and Jimin,” he joked, his eyes still glued to his mother.
He was clearly adoring their little dance while you were adoring him.
“He’s really grateful you’re here.”, you didn’t expect Taehyung to be so serious, a new side of him showing.
“I like being here. Wouldn’t go back,” you told him as you put your hand on top of his, appreciating the moment.
His eyes met yours, not thinking you’d hold his hand in front of everyone, even though no one could see, “You do? I didn’t think you’d fit in or like it here at first if I am honest.”
You let out a laugh, “Yeah, I know. You were very vocal about that if you don’t remember our first encounter as I came back.”
He joined your laughter, giving you an apologetic pout, “I’m sorry. I was being a bit rough, wasn’t I?”
You nodded, “Didn’t expect anything else though. You never opened up towards me when we were younger,” you explained to him in a soft voice, you didn’t want to hurt him with your words.
“I just wondered why you’d move here. I thought it was stupid. What does this little town offer you?” he asked curiously, his eyes glued back to your family.
“This, for example,” you gestured to them, “It’s very heartwarming here. You might not realize because you’ve always been here but this town is full of love.”
Taehyung narrowed his eyebrows a bit, “I bet the actual reason you like it so much here is this cute neighbor of yours.”
You scoffed at his confidence, “Oh, you mean that Taehyung guy? No, he’s just too busy loving himself, I doubt he could ever make time to let someone else in.”
He opened his mouth a bit, acting shocked, “Didn’t you hear?”, he asked you, turning his body to you now to completely face you, “Everyone says he’s a total sucker for you.”
Playing along, you slightly brushed your knees against his, “I don’t think so,” you let out a sigh, “Last week he had the perfect chance to kiss me but instead he threw me into the lake.”
He grinned, not expecting you being so witty. “I’m sure he was just nervous and regrets it very much.”
“I wonder what your sources are. They don’t seem very trustworthy. You know that guy, he has a heart made of stone.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” he came closer to whisper in your ear, “He’s actually a soft man inside.”
“(Y/n)!” your cousin screamed over to you, clearly drunk, ruining your little moment with Taehyung, “Let's go, dance with your favorite cousin.”
You sighed heavily, knowing that refusing won’t work even though you didn’t want the playful banter with Taehyung to end. So a few seconds later you found yourself on the dance floor, jamming to the old classics with your favorite human in town. Taehyung and Yoongi might be close, but no one would beat your family.
The two of you danced around like crazy, exaggerating every move, having fun without any worries for a few songs.
That was until you saw Jimin looking over to the rest of your group, his eyebrows narrowing, a mixture of confusion and anger in his eyes - his jaw clenched as he was glaring somewhere. You followed his gaze to see Taehyung talking to a girl you didn’t know. You didn’t think anything of it at first, he didn’t seem very close to her, maybe even a bit uncomfortable.
“That little shit,” your cousin raised his voice, looking at you, “He better doesn’t do anything stupid.”
You threw him a questioning look, no idea what was going on, “What do you mean? They’re just talking.”
He shook his head, “That’s Elly. Elly and Taehyung are never just talking.“
His ex. What did this mean to you? You didn’t feel jealous somehow. The evening was fine, Taehyung was clearly giving all of his attention to you, the two of you weren’t dating, you didn’t even kiss yet. Of course, you hoped that this would change sooner or later, your feelings for him were undeniable at this point and part of you thought that they weren’t one-sided.
Before you said anything, Jimin was losing his temper, “He can’t treat you like this, (y/n). I’m going to talk to him.”
You laughed at his clearly drunken state, shaking your head, “No no, I can manage my relationships alone, don’t worry.”
He tried to look you in the eyes, failing slightly. You were pretty sure that if you’d ask him to touch his nose right now, he’d miss it by miles.
“Why, of all people, Taehyung? He’s too cold for you. I love this dude but I don’t want you to go through a hard time because of him,” he pouted, suddenly wanting to discuss your love life with you.
You knew you shouldn’t laugh, Jimin was being sincere and caring about you right now but his state was so fucked up that you couldn’t help it, “Let’s get you some water.”
Letting out a heavy sigh because you ignored him, he followed you to the Mins’ table where they were selling drinks.
They immediately let out a laugh, “Oh, Jimin,” Yoongi’s mother said amused at his clearly fucked-up state.
“Can we have a water, please?” you asked her as you held Jimin, wishing he’d stay still.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he tried to convince you, “I could do a cartwheel without a problem.”
“Please don’t,” you laughed at his confidence, giving him the cup of water and thanking Yoongi’s mother, “Should we go back to the table?”
He nodded and you walked over to your group of friends, handing Jimin over to Jungkook. Looking around you saw that Taehyung was missing. Just as his ex-girlfriend.
Of course, you couldn’t know if they left together. Maybe Taehyung just went home without saying goodbye. Checking your phone to see if he maybe texted you just disappointed you even more. You hated that you suddenly felt so vulnerable. The evening was so much fun up to this point, the fact that such a tiny thing could ruin your mood completely made you feel foolish.
Not daring to ask Yoongi if he knew where he went or if they left together, knowing he’d try to comfort you, making you feel even worse, you said your goodbyes to your friends, claiming you were tired and needed some sleep.
Walking over to your home luckily was only taking you a minute, considering that the harvest festival was held on your farm. The worst thing about all this was that you didn’t know how to feel. Technically, you had no reason to be mad or jealous, Taehyung and you never did anything more than flirting.
On the other hand though, you liked him, so of course, it hurt you that he was probably enjoying himself with his ex-girlfriend right now. Your head hurt from all the alcohol and overthinking. You wished he would at least have said goodbye to you. Maybe, after all, he wasn’t into you as much as you thought. Today would’ve been his chance to make a move otherwise.
Opening your door you almost got scared to death. Your heartbeat was going crazy fast and you were even more confused than before. Just as you accepted the fact that Taehyung left the party with his ex-girlfriend, he was sitting on your sofa, playing games on his phones, waiting for no one else than you.
“What are you doing here? How did you even get in?” you almost screamed, still shocked by the thought that someone broke into your house at first.
He laughed, simply stating, “I know where your spare key is.”
You shook your head in disbelief, “But what are you doing here? Why are you just sitting on my sofa?”
“I wanted to leave the party. But I still wanted to spend time with you.”
“What about Elly?” you blurted out, your eyes immediately widening after you asked, realizing that he and you never talked about her.
He looked at you in shock, “W-What?” you never head him stutter before, “What about her? How do you know?”, the confusion on his face vanished a bit, sighing heavy, “Yoongi told you about her, right?”
You nodded, “It just came up once in a conversation we were having. And when I saw you with her I just assumed you left with her.”
He laughed, looking at you like you were crazy, “Why would I do that?”
You shrugged, not having an answer to his question. “What do I know? Maybe you missed her.”
“You’re crazy if you think I’d waste your time like that. And my time also,” he said softly, “Forget about her. She came up to me as soon as you left, trying to talk so I left.”
You nodded, understanding what was going on now, “So, you decided to break into my house?”
“Oh, I can leave if you want me to.“
“That’s not what I said,” you rolled your eyes. Suddenly, there was a pause. Neither of you were saying anything and you felt unsure of how to continue.
“Shouldn’t we clean outside a bit already?” you asked Taehyung, trying to break the silence so you’d get out of this overwhelming situation.
Taehyung, on the other hand, seemed to be very relaxed, he almost felt at home on your sofa. He stood up, coming closer and closer to you, “It can wait until tomorrow.”
When he stopped, he was right in front of you, your feet were almost touching and if someone would push you at this moment, you surely would land on top of him, which actually sounded pretty nice to you. You nodded, trying to sneakily take a deep breath to calm down, you had no idea why you were so nervous. He’s by far not the first guy you kissed but he might be the one kiss you anticipated the most.
His hand slowly ran up your arm, then down again, giving you goosebumps all over your skin, his gentleness making you fall for him even more. His hand found yours and you looked into his eyes, wanting to drown in them as your stomach felt like it was tied in knots.
A small smile formed on Taehyung’s lips as you locked eyes, not able to have a single clear thought. By now you were sure that tonight would be the night you’d finally have him where you wanted him. All for yourself.
Coming nearer, you felt his upper body almost touching yours, his head was leaning in and you saw him slowly closing his eyes as his free hand found your hip, bringing you even closer to him.
The moment before the actual kiss was already breathtaking enough. The mixed smell of his cologne and the alcohol the two of you drank earlier was making you feel dense. The touch of his hand was already burning but as his nose brushed yours slightly, a rush of adrenaline was sent through your whole body, making your stomach turn and you suddenly felt hot in places you didn’t know he had an impact on until now. It was rather quiet, the only sound you could hear was the muffled music from outside, but you couldn’t figure out what song was playing, only feeling the bass of it. Your heart was beating so fast, you hoped he couldn’t hear it.
But all those little and unimportant things around you vanished as soon as you felt his soft lips, pressed onto yours with the perfect amount pressure. The kiss developed from something shy and soft into the projection of what both of you had been craving secretly for so long in no time. No one dared to break the kiss, not wanting it to be over.
His hand wandered all over your body, from your hip to your waist, to your arms, to your neck, right back down to your lower back until he held onto your thighs.
“Jump,” he mumbled hectic, his voice deeper than usual, between your kisses, not wanting to stop.
“Are you sure?” you asked him carefully.
He chuckled into your kiss, “Never been more sure.”
So you did as he told you and jumped up, your legs now crossed around his hips as he held you up like it was nothing, deepening the kiss once again, your tongue playing with his. Being with him like this was more exciting than you ever could’ve imagined.
Your hand found the nape of his neck, burying itself in his soft hair, as he was carrying you to the sofa he was sitting on just a few minutes ago.
So there you were, on top of Kim Taehyung, straddling his muscular thighs, feeling a heat in your core that you haven’t felt in such a long time but missed so much. The way his hands were exploring your body while his lips were busy kissing every single spot on your jaw and your neck was making you feel like you were going insane, leaving you wanting every single part of him.
A small, rather quiet groan came out of your mouth as he pulled you closer to him, not able to suppress what you were feeling any second longer. He chuckled once more, clearly satisfied with the feelings he was giving you, before giving his attention to your lips again.
His one hand was now on your neck, supporting every movement between the two of you, as his other hand was resting on your hip, slowly making you rock back and forth on him, the tension in both of your pants growing.
Slowly, his hand started to wander under your shirt, to a place where you needed him desperately. He was caressing the skin under your shirt carefully, teasing while taking his time. You wanted nothing more than for him to move them upwards towards your breasts, giving you more and more.
His lips were doing its magic on your neck again, kissing and nibbling on a soft spot under your ear as his hand slowly wandered up until his thumb finally found your nipple under your lace bra, the contact making you flinch a bit because of the intense feeling.
He let out a deep groan, sending shivers down your body and an undeniable friction in your underwear grew, making you rock your hips into him once more.
You started to wonder if you were prepared for what was about to happen, the two of you were just starting and you already felt like a mess, wanting him so much more. But he took his time, enjoying every single second of you on top of him.
His hand was now kneading your breast, the pressure just exactly right as he brushed your nipple every now and then, already knowing its effect on you. Every time he touched your bud lightly you couldn’t help but moan.
You let out a small whine as your breast lost contact with his hand, not wanting him to stop. But as you realized that he was only stopping to pull up your shirt you were more than willing to give him what he wanted. Within seconds you were not only shirtless but also braless, as Taehyung was throwing your bra away to the floor.
He studied what you looked like, wanting to never forget this moment. Leaning back on the couch you saw a satisfied smirk on his lips as his hand found your nipple again. He now was looking right into your eyes and you held eye contact with him, trying not to break it as you got wetter every time his thumb was caressing your nipple.
He enjoyed watching you trying to contain yourself for sure. The smirk on his lip was growing now and his glance was filled with a mixture of lust, adoration and mostly, anticipation of what was going to happen next.
You put your hand on his shoulder to support yourself as you started to dry-hump him, letting out a moan, a louder one this time, as you felt his erection under you.
“Shit,” he moaned, breaking eye contact and throwing his head back, his eyes closed as he bit his lip.
All of a sudden he stopped you from your actions, holding your hips down with both of his hand as he looked at you, frustration all over his face, “(Y/n), are you sure about this? I don’t think I’ll be able to stop once we started.”
Your heart skipped a beat, appreciating his question but you immediately gave him another kiss, this time a bit softer, kissing him deeply, before whispering into his ears. “Don’t you dare to stop now, Taehyung.”
You could hear his chuckle, his breath on your neck giving you goosebumps. “Thank god,” he said before lifting you up without warning you, making you scream a bit, afraid he’d let you fall.
“Be careful, you scared me to death,” you laughed as you were being carried towards your bedroom.
“You think I’d let you fall?” he said amused, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” you countered, making him laugh as he arrived in your bedroom, letting you down on top of your bed - now you were under him, lying down as he was still sitting on his knees, taking in the view of your naked upper body right in front of him, for him only.
You did the same - and what a beautiful view it was. He was hovering over you, your legs between his as he was pulling his top over his head, throwing it away before unbuckling his belt as you were running your hand over his toned chest.
Not long until both of you were only left in your underwear. Taehyung slowly removed your pants, before coming back up to you, supporting himself on his elbows as he gave you a deep kiss, adding tongue and caressing your cheek before looking at you. You couldn’t help but smile.
Taehyung gave you a small smile back, his eyes soft, “I love that smile.”
Before you could think about his compliment, one that he never gave you before, before you could get flustered or say anything back he suddenly changed the game completely, fastly pulling your underwear to the side and sliding one finger inside of you while his thumb was rubbing circles against your clit.
Taken aback by his sudden actions, you let out a loud moan, almost a scream, making Taehyungg smirk a bit before his lips wandered down to your neck once again, taking his time with you as he pumped his finger in and out in just the right rhythm. You moved your hip into his movements as his lips kissed down to your chest, his free hand holding your breast while his mouth teasingly played with your nipple, licking it and twirling his tongue around it, making you a moaning mess already.
Your hand was lightly stroking his dick through his boxers, leaving you wanting more. God, the things you wanted him to do with you were unholy.
The way he glanced at you as he was kissing his way down to your core looked like living art. Your whole body wanted him so bad, just the thought of where his mouth would travel to next or how it would feel when you’d finally feel him inside of you was making you go insane. Never before have you wanted something as much and at the same time hoped he’d take his time before.
Arriving at his destination he let out a moan, definitely being into all of this a bit too much too. He started to slowly kiss your inner thighs, holding your legs up a bit, teasing every part around where you wanted him the most.
“Stop teasing,” you whined, wanting him so much more than you currently had.
He chuckled against your core, the warm air making you flinch, “I thought that’s our thing,” before licking along your wet folds and then adding another finger, his tongue giving all its attention to your clit.
The pace in that he was going down on you was making your knees feel weak. He looked so handsome, his forehead in wrinkles as he was concentrating on pleasing you completely, moans vibrating against you.
It didn’t take long for the two of you until you were having sex, the two of you completely concentrating on the sensational feeling for the next moments.
After you finished you laid down on your stomach, not able to really move, as Taehyung let himself fall right next to you, giving your nose a small peck. He was not only out of breath but also still in trance of what had just happened, “I didn’t expect this,” he breathed, calming down from his orgasm.
You giggled a bit, “What? Us having sex?”
The smile he gave you made your heart race like crazy, his messy hair falling into his eyes, “I’m not complaining though.”
For a second you were lying there, letting Taehyung catch his breath and calming down. You felt your legs shaking from the intercourse you just had.
“Feel my legs,” you ordered chuckling, his hand on your thigh in a second as he felt how much you were shaking.
“Glad you liked it,” he laughed before getting up, “I’ll get you a towel, be right back.”
As you were waiting for him to come back you realized what had just happened. After all the flirting and teasing Taehyung and you actually ended up in your bed. The thought made you dizzy, but it could also be from the alcohol you drank. It seemed too good to be true.
Cleaning you up, you suddenly heard a laugh as he grabbed your ass, “I may or may not have left some marks. I’m sorry.”
You turned you head back, squinting your eyes at him, “You’re lucky no one else sees that part of me. The others would tease me to death about that.”
Slowly, he climbed back up to lay next to you, both of you on your stomach, his hand caressing your side, “Apparently they have a bet going on about when we’re going to end up together.”
“I’m not even surprised. Sounds like them,” you closed your eyes, enjoying Taehyung’s affection, “This feels nice.”
He hummed in agreement before giving you a small kiss, his forehead resting next to yours, “I could stay like this forever.”
“Then stay,” you offered, still not opening your eyes. Taehyung was getting a blanket, throwing it over both of you so you wouldn’t freeze, “Don’t leave. Stay here.”
“You want me to?” he asked, his hand now playing with your hair, “Alright, I’ll stay then. Sleep a bit, it’s late and you’re drunk.”
“I will, just give me one more kiss, okay?” you asked him, feeling yourself getting more tired by any passing second.
He chuckled as he came closer to your face once again, holding your face in his hands as he softly pressed his lips onto yours one more time, your naked bodies touching. “Good night, (y/n).”
Falling asleep, everything seemed too good to be true. Taehyung beside you, his scent in your nose as you slowly drifted to sleep in his arms.
As you woke up he was gone. First, you thought you had dreamed about yesterday's events but after a few seconds, you realized that it wasn’t a dream. You got drunk, you had sex, you fell asleep next to him. And now, he was gone.
Standing up, you wrapped your blanket around your naked body, looking for the man that you spend the night with but he was nowhere to be seen.
Well, maybe it was too good to be true.
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It’s been five days. Five days since you shared your bed with Taehyung. Five days and your goddamn sheets still smelled like him – or maybe you were hallucinating at this point, wanting just something that reminds you of him around you.
The two of you talked to each other casually when you met on the farm. You said hello and talked about the weather. Shared awkward smiles. And that was about it. It’s not like he was cold to you or anything, he seemed to feel just as helpless and awkward about your drunk night together as you. As much as you loved the night and what happened, you definitely hated the aftermath.
Talking to Yoongi about it didn’t help, sadly. While you appreciate that he always listens to you and is ready to give you advice at any given time, you still had hoped that he’d suggest something else than to give him a bit of time.
The current tension between you was even worse than the sexual tension between you before. You didn’t care if you and Taehyung wouldn’t end up as a couple, of course, you’d like that very much and still hoped that things were going into that direction, but the two of you developed too much to just destroy the nice friendship you built because of feelings getting in the way.
So you decided to visit him that afternoon, feeling anxious as you were walking up the front porch of your neighbors. You barely remember how their house looked like from the inside since it’s been so long since you been inside. The front door stood open and you knocked against it, not wanting to be rude.
“Mrs. Kim?” you called for her as you slowly stepped inside, looking if you could find her but there was no sign of her being home.
Walking up the stairs, you tried to remember which room belonged to Taehyung until you were distracted by something odd and unexpected – suddenly your ears were filled with a beautiful but rather sad piano melody coming from the room on the back of the corridor.
Curious, your feet walked towards the source of the sound, your heart suddenly felt heavy, the sad melody immediately managed to impact your mood, making you feel blue. A part of you wanted to turn around and leave Taehyung alone, just like he probably wanted you to – if you figured out one thing about him over the last few months than it was the fact that this man was a complicated person, hard to read and even harder to talk to, but you decided to accept that. There were only two options: Either you’d work it out with him or you wouldn’t.
You stood in the open door, looking at the back of the man your heart wanted so bad, sitting in front of a big, wooden piano – for a second you couldn’t even believe that he was able to play such a heart touching piece of art, sitting in his room all alone. What a waste it was for him to play all alone, with no one around to hear. It made your heart sting for a second, at this point you liked him too much to go back. Just looking at him being at peace was making you crave to be the woman beside him. After all, he was Kim Taehyung, the one man that managed to surprise you over and over again.
As quiet as possible you walked into the tidy and light room, not wanting to give him a heart attack by creeping up on him but also not wanting him to stop playing. It was a beautiful sight, the way his hands were gliding on the big instrument so smooth and without thinking. You couldn’t see his face yet but you were already swooning over how beautiful he looked.
He looked over his shoulders as you cleared your throat, continuing to play even without paying attention to the keys, giving you an unreadable smile. You sat down on his bed that was placed right beside the piano as he stopped playing.
“Didn’t expect you to come visit me if I am honest,“ Taehyung admitted, almost sounding shy. He seemed to be a bit uncomfortable, knowing exactly that he finally had to face the night you shared a few days ago.
“Well, I didn’t expect you to be able to play the piano so skillfully but yet, here you are, doing exactly that,“ you countered in a soft tone, not wanting him to feel like you were mad at him, “That sounded beautiful.”
He chuckled and you were happy to see him relax a bit, “You think so? It was rather depressing, wasn't it?”
“Matching your mood?” you dared to ask him carefully, trying to address the whole situation somehow.
He stood up from his chair and walked over to you, sitting down next to you on his bed, “It’s my dad’s birthday today. He taught me the song I just played.”
His voice was full of love while talking about his father but you could hear the hidden sadness behind it. You didn’t know about that and suddenly, you felt guilt rushing over you. While you were wondering why he didn't try to solve the obvious problem between you and him he had something way harder to deal with. Looking up at you, he forced a small smile, “Mum and Olli are visiting his grave but I didn’t feel like going.”
Trying to give him any kind of comfort you nodded, pressing your lips into a thin line. You were surprised that he was opening up to you but as sad as the situation was, it was relieving you that he finally talked to someone about it. According to Jimin and Yoongi he tried to avoid this topic as much as he could.
“Why did you stay here?” you asked him, trying to keep the conversation going and show him your support. What you didn’t want was overwhelm him with questions, so you slowly started to see how comfortable he was around you.
He shrugged, looking up at the ceiling, “It’s such a sad place. I feel like we shouldn’t be sad on his birthday, if that makes sense. We should eat his favorite food and drink a beer and stay up too long, playing guitar on the porch. Mum and Dad always sneaked out at night on his birthday, taking drunk walks. They thought I didn’t notice but they were always coming back, laughing loudly. I miss celebrating his birthdays. But it’s hard to be happy on his birthday without him here.”
He laid down on his bed, his head right next to where you were currently sitting. You studied his face, his eyes still glued to the ceiling, not daring to look at you, the woman he hurt by leaving her after having sex with her. The sun outside was setting, leaving Taehyung’s whole room in a golden light, his tan skin was glowing and his light-brown hair shimmering.
While he seemed to be sad on the outside you could see that talking about the memories he made with his father was making him feel lighter. It was nice seeing him talking about his dad - they always have been very close, you still could recall that.
“I still remember him so vividly. He always gifted me self-made jam before I left the city and no other jam, literally not a single one at home was comparable to his,“ you shared your memory with Taehyung, looking out of the big window in his room, admiring the sun, “He has a beautiful soul.”  
When you came over you wouldn't have expected to talk to Taehyung about his father but you knew that everything else, every problem and unsolved question, between the two of you could wait for now.
“I wish I was more like him,“ his voice was nothing more than a mumble, almost inaudible. The sudden craving to hold him came over you, to comfort him in your arms, to kiss him until he felt better. But you held back, as long as you didn’t talk about the obvious.
“What do you mean?” you asked him, daring to lay down beside him – luckily, he didn’t seem to mind. The two of you didn’t touch or cuddled, you just were lying there, on his bed, having a serious and meaningful conversation.
“He was so kind and positive. He told my mother different reasons why he loved her every night. Even after a long day of work he still took his time and practiced the piano with me every night and then brought Olli to bed, reading him a good night story or playing him songs on the guitar until he fell asleep. He taught me so much but still, I could never be so full of love like he used to be.”
“You think too low of yourself, Tae,“ you said determined, meaning it, “I don’t think you see how much your mother appreciates everything you do for her. She knows that you didn’t plan out your life like this but you’re staying here for her. And Olli looks up to you so much, you could do nothing to let him down.”
He shrugged, looking at you for a second, “I don’t feel like that’s enough.”
Feeling heartbroken about hearing him talk so bad about himself, your hand found his in between the two of you, linking it with yours, now it was you who didn't dare to look into his eyes, “Look at us then.”
“What do you mean?” he asked you, confused.
“Since I moved here you gave me so much joy and helped me everywhere you could. You have no idea how much I appreciate all the things you’ve done for me since I came here, complicated tensions between us or not,“ you meant every word.
He scoffed lightly, “I attacked you on your first day, made you churn butter and let you fall into the lake in the middle of the night on your birthday.”
You couldn’t help but laugh a bit at his words, “Well, yes. And I could still kill you for all of those things. But,“ you started, turning your body towards him to look into his eyes, “You also helped me calm the cows during the storm. You gave me the most meaningful birthday present I could’ve thought of. You brought me a basket full of my favorite fruits even though you still deny that you did-”
He let out a soft chuckle before interrupting you, “That wasn’t me,“ he insisted once again with a grin on his face.
“Sure, Kim,“ you rolled your eyes at him picking up this discussion again, “You might think you’re being cold but you’re not at all.”
Now he turned to face you too, both of you lying on the side, looking in each other’s eyes. His brows narrowed as he tried to say something to you, the expression in his eyes seemed to be hurt, maybe even guilty.
A heavy sigh came from his lips before he closed his eyes, “I just left you. That morning. I just got up and left.”
Those words made you freeze. After all, you came here to talk about exactly that but it seemed so wrong right now, “We don’t have to talk abou-”
“I just left,“ he repeated, seeming disappointed with himself, “I never just left someone after having sex with them. There were people that meant way less to me and I still stayed the morning after. I am being a complete asshole to you all the time and still, you don’t hate me. You’re here, trying to make sure I’m okay.”
Keeping quiet was the only thing you could do at that moment. Taehyungs words seemed harsh but the tone in his voice sounded guilty. Even if you wanted to, you couldn’t say anything – you had no idea what Taehyung was trying to say.
“Tae,“ you finally started after a few seconds, his full attention on you, “This day is hard enough for you already. We don’t have to talk about that right now. I’m not mad at you.”
“You should be though. I know, I am pretty amazing but not even such a godlike man like me shouldn’t treat you like this,“ he joked but both of you knew it was his way of comprehending because he didn’t know how to handle the conversation you were about to have since he always struggled to talk about his feelings, especially sober.
“Why did you leave then?” you asked him the one question you asked yourself over and over again. There could have been millions of options in your mind. Maybe, he regretted it and it was just a drunk mistake. Maybe, the feelings you thought he had for you were just sexually. Maybe, he simply had to go and do something early in the morning. So many maybes that have gone through your head without any idea if any of those maybe’s were right.
“I don’t know. I wish I didn’t,“ he bit his lip nervously, not looking into your eyes anymore, afraid to see your reaction, “Maybe I’m afraid.”
“Afraid of what?” you asked, not sure if you actually wanted to know the answer. You felt many emotions when it came to him. You felt happiness, joy, hope, possibly love. On other days you felt powerless, insecure and confused. What you never felt was being afraid. Pretty sure, you actually felt safe around him.
“I’m not as flawless and strong as I constantly try to convince you I am,“ he sighed, pressing his lips into a straight line, “I couldn’t stand to hurt you because of my own problems. But I still did.”
Slowly you nodded as your heart was sinking deeper and deeper in your stomach, “You’ve got to talk to me. What are you thinking about?”
Taehyung hated this probably even more than you did. He was good in so many things – he was a good friend, a better brother and the best son. He was an amazing cook and apparently, an amazing piano player. He could flirt like no tomorrow and crack jokes around his friends that would make everyone laugh. He could drink a lot and he could make your heart beat faster.
There were countless things he was able to be and to do without any problem. But when it came to talking about his feelings and showing his vulnerable side he failed. You knew that just as good as everyone else but if he wouldn’t talk, you couldn’t continue to work on your relationship.
“I–“ he started but stopped, looking at you sternly while clenching his jaw a bit. His eyebrows furrowed and his expression looked almost pained, trying to find the right words, “I think that I loved the night with you. I did, really. But maybe, it was a bit thoughtless of us.”
“So, what you’re trying to say is that you regret it,“ you stated, trying to just get this conversation over with, hoping he couldn’t see or hear that you felt like he just put a knife in your stomach.
„God, no,“ his answer bursted out of him like a bullet before he started mumbling to himself, „I am truly terrible at this.“
You gave him a few seconds to gather his thoughts even though the silence was deafening. This wasn't how you expected to spend your first time in Taehyung's bed at all.
„I like you, (y/n),“ he then spoke, determined, „Obviously I do. And I think you like me too, or at least I hope you do. But we were drunk and desperate when we had sex and I wanted it to be special.“
You couldn't help but pout at his helpless confession, adoring him even more than before. Within seconds all of your doubts vanished – as long as Taehyung liked you too you would find a way to work everything out. Trying not to let your overflowing happiness show, you gave him a small smirk, „You thought about us having sex?“
Luckily, his body relaxed too, an annoyed smile appearing on his handsome face, „All the time,“ he scrunched his nose, his arm wrapping itself around your waist.
„So, what you're saying is that you ignored me for days because you didn't like the way it happened?“ you asked him, coming back to the actual topic.
Frowning, he sighed, „When you put it like this it sounds stupid.“
„Because it is,“ you insisted, squinting your eyes at him, „I thought you avoided me because you hated me or something like that.“
„I'm so sorry,“ he apologized again, his face coming closer to yours, „Apparently, I'm very bad at this.“
„So, what are we doing now?“ you asked him, feeling a bit anxious even though Taehyung just told you that he liked you too, so you had nothing to worry about.
„First, I want to kiss you if you're fine with that,“ his fingers were drawing little patterns on your waist, „and then I'd like us to become something serious.“
Nodding, you did as he asked and gave him a kiss, his soft lips feeling just as good, if not better, as you remembered them. You felt something like butterflies in your stomach and you thought that Taehyung would probably make fun of you if he knew how jolly he made you feel.
Breaking from the kiss, the most handsome man you've ever seen stared you down for a second, not saying anything.
„We should celebrate,“ he suddenly suggested.
„What do you have in mind?“ you asked him curiously, not once escaping his gaze.
„Let me take you out to dinner,“ his voice was sweet as honey and you were sure you never heard him talk in such a soft tone – it might be the rest of guilt he still felt towards you or the fact that now you officially knew about each other's feelings but you could get used to it. You wanted to get used to it.
„Right now?“ you asked him, wondering if it would be okay considering it was his father's birthday.
„I don't wanna wait a second longer,“ he smirked at his own cheesiness, getting out of his bed to get ready to go.
You joined him, „Stop being so loving. God, where did my cynical Taehyung go?“
Rolling his eyes, he chuckled as he wrapped his arm around your waist, walking down the hallway with you. „This changes nothing,“ he gestured between the two of you, „You're still terribly annoying even if we're together now.“
„I could get used to the sound of that,“ you scrunched your nose as your eyes met before you repeated his words, „We're together now.“
Even though he tried to hide it, he was just as excited about the label as you were. You could feel it in the way he touched you and the sparkle in his eyes gave him away.
A few minutes later you were sitting outside of the restaurant in the heart of your city, the marketplace was pretty quiet as it slowly got dark outside, a candle lit on your table.
The owner of the restaurant greeted you, raising his eyebrow and smirking as he saw the two of you together. „Oh, what a nice sight to see the two of you here together. Is this a date by any chance?“
You let Taehyung answer, not knowing if he was okay with telling people yet.
„It's still a secret so you have to keep quiet, please,“ he answered with a proud smile on his lips and you could swear his chest was sticking out a bit.
„What a pretty couple,“ he sang as he went back inside, giving you a bit of time to read the menu and decide on what to eat.
Even though it was almost autumn it was still warm outside – you loved those kind of late summer evenings. Without even having a single sip of alcohol you felt almost tipsy, the man opposite of you making you feel all light and smitten.
„This is the downside of living in such a small town,“ Taehyung started, his skin glowing in the candlelight, „We have zero privacy.“
„I don't mind,“ you shrugged, „They're going to find out sooner or later. It's the charm of towns like ours.“
„I just would like to take you out on a date every now and then without one of the guys crashing it because they see us,“ he explained, „But you're right, it's not as bad here as I make it out to be.“
He took your hand that was resting on the table, caressing it with his thumb. Every touch you two shared make you shiver in anticipation for more. Even though you already knew you were head over heels for him you felt yourself falling deeper every time you touched.
Time went by way too fast for your liking and before you knew it you two had your dinner, your dessert and even some drinks afterwards. The atmosphere was light, both of you enjoying each other's company after not talking for some days.
„I don't want this night to end just yet,“ you pouted. Before you dared to take his hands you glanced around to see if Jimin was anywhere to be seen, not wanting him to disturb your peace.
Your new boyfriend, still a weird thought to call him that, nodded, „I can stay if you want to.“
Before you could say anything he fastly added, „I don't have to though. It's your decision. I can leave too.“
You gave him a weird glance, „You're acting like this would be a first for us.“
Not saying anything he almost froze in front of you, fidgeting with his hands, staring at your door. For a few seconds you mustered him, waiting if he'd say something but nothing came out of his mouth, which was pretty unusual for him.
„Oh god, you're nervous!“ your grin was a mile wide and you clapped your hands amused, „Kim Taehyung is nervous because of me. I can't wait to tell my diary about this.“
Frustration was written all over his face as he closed his eyes as if he couldn't believe himself. „Your diary must be full of my name,“ he mumbled under his breath before looking at you again, the satisfied smile on your face provoking him, „Stop making fun of me.“
As you were searching for your keys in your back he hugged you from behind, pressing a kiss against your hair, “Let’s drink some beer and watch a movie.”
Nodding, you stole a quick kiss from his lips and opened the door, letting the both of you in.
“I’m going to get a blanket,” you informed him, “Get some beers, I’ll meet you in the couch in a minute.
„What do you wanna watch?“ he asked you a few moments later, one leg bent while the other one was spread out on your sofa, his arm spread on the back of it, just waiting for you to join him.
The sight of him comfortably sitting on your sofa gave you the most domestic feeling you've felt in a long time – he seemed to look even better than before somehow.
„Let's watch an animal documentation,“ you responded, sitting down next to him. The blanket you brought from your bedroom spread over the two of you, you dared to cuddle yourself up to him and he seemed to enjoy it as much as you, giving your head a quick kiss, your face resting on his chest.
„You're weird,“ he muttered, „Let's watch a horror movie instead.“
Giving him an unimpressed glance, you sighed, „How cliche.“
You could feel his chuckle going through his chest, „At least it would give me a reason to stay for the night.“
Rolling your eyes, you looked up at him, his glance already on you, „Why? Because you're too afraid of horror movies? Because I am certainly not.“
„I have such a brave girlfriend,“ he acknowledged in a sarcastic tone while opening two beers, handing you one, „Here's to us, babe.“
Clinking your bottles, you took a sip of your beer, „So, you're a babe kind of guy? Wouldn't have thought that.“
„I can call you asshole if you prefer that,“ he said seriously before starting to laugh at his own joke once again.
And with that, the rest of the evening was just as perfect as the first part. It was just you, Taehyung, some beers and Netflix. Every now and then you shared kisses, sometimes those kisses were a bit more passionate and longer, turning into full make-out sessions before Taehyung started to whine because he missed the plot of the movie you were watching.
“God, I’m so happy,” he told you softly as you were slowly falling asleep in his arms, relaxing completely under his touch, “I wanted this for so long.”
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You and Taehyung managed to keep your relationship a secret for about two weeks. It took you only two short weeks to decide that it didn’t make any sense to keep it from them. Not only were both of you pretty sure that the relationship between you was serious but also, like always, none of your friends stopped their teasing, making it difficult to stay hidden because their eyes were always on you.
“We have to tell them,” your boyfriend looked at you, “It’s a miracle they didn’t find out yet.”
You chuckled, wrapping your legs around his, “I guess you’re right. But they are going to be so nosey about it. I hate it already.”
It was a late summer Saturday evening, probably one of the lasts warm days for this year and Yoongi decided to gather your friends and your family together for one last barbecue.
Walking outside, you linked your arm with Taehyung’s, something you’ve never done before in front of other people. A part of you almost felt nervous to let the rest know.
“You’re ready?” he asked you, giving you a small wink as you walked towards the big table next to the barbecue grill. Your families were already sitting down on the big table while Yoongi and Hoseok were struggling to get the barbecue grill to work. It was a beautiful evening, the sun was still high but was about to sink, the warm summer breeze felt refreshing and the big table in the garden was full of drinks and food, from meat to salads to bread to vegetables. Yoongi’s parents were there too, currently mixing some cocktails.
Jimin was the first to spot the two of you walking out of your cottage, giving you a confused glance, his eyebrows narrowed. He stopped telling the other a story he was in the middle of, wondering about the sudden skinship. Immediately, everyone turned their heads to where he was looking, wondering what made Jimin speechless.
As you arrived you said nothing, waiting for anyone to say something.
Yoongi looked at you with a big grin on his face. “What is that supposed to mean?” he asked, pointing onto your linked arms.
“You are fucking with us, aren’t you?”, your cousin asked suspiciously, “Ha Ha. Very funny.”
“No, for once I’m serious,” you replied, amused because he didn’t believe you, “Are you really surprised?”
Mrs. Kim and your uncle looked at each other, a smile on their faces.
“Taehyung, are you serious? You can’t trick your old mother like this, don’t make me excited for something that isn’t true.”
Taehyung chuckled at his mother, nodding, “Don’t worry, mum. I’d never lie to you.”
Jimin still didn’t seem to believe you, “If you’re not kidding you gotta kiss,” he insisted with a sly smirk, thinking that he exposed you now.
You looked at Tae, giving him a questioning glance, not knowing if he’d be comfortable kissing you in front of everyone. But he didn’t seem to care and just shook his head amused before he came closer to give you a short, but still very adorable, kiss on your lips, his arm now around your waist, before turning to Jimin, who looked like he was about to faint.
“Who do you think you are just dating my cousin without asking me for permission?” he yelled angrily, getting ready to fight Taehyung.
You, Yoongi and Hoseok started to laugh out loud as Jimin started to chase after Taehyung.
Sitting down on the table right next to Yoongi’s seat he pinched your cheeks lightly, “Congratulations, finally trapped him, huh?”
You nodded, “Was about time. I was slowly going insane.”
“In a more peaceful minute, you need to tell me all about how it happened, alright?” your best friend said with a satisfied smile on his lips, “And don’t forget me now that you’re in love.”
“How could I ever?” you promised, laughing as Taehyung came back to the table, out of breath from running away from Jimin.
“Your cousin is crazy, (y/n),” he breathed heavily, shaking his head, “Maybe I have to reconsider becoming part of your family.”
“Well, too late now,“ you shrugged as Jimin  joined the table again too, a goofy smile on his face as he turned to you.
“So, I assume I can’t try to set you up with Jungkook anymore, right?” he joked, sitting back down on his chair and opening two cans of beer, one for himself and the other one for you.
„You better watch your mouth,“ your boyfriend warned Jimin, giving him a warning glance.
A few hours later, the sky was pitch-black by now and the stars sparkling, you noticed that Taehyung was gone for quite some time now and decided to go check up on him - you saw him going to the barn earlier.
As you walked over to Taehyung he already noticed you but didn’t look at you yet. Instead, you only saw his back as he was busy giving Bertha some kisses.
“Oh no, don’t worry, Bertha,“ he talked to her, “You’re still my favorite cow, just don’t tell (y/n).”
You rolled your eyes, scoffing, “You’re trying to make me jealous?”
He turned around, acting as if he didn’t realize you coming on, “Oh no, (y/n),“ his voice was mocking, “You shouldn’t have seen this, I can explain, I promise.”
Laughing at his own joke, he came over to you and put his arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer to him. Trying to give you a kiss, you freed yourself from his grip, giving him the cold shoulder.
“No, go and kiss Bertha, if you love her so much,“ you huffed and held your chin up high, trying to stay serious but Taehyung wasn’t having it. Within seconds his arms were wrapped around you once again, now tighter than before so you couldn’t escape if you wanted.
Pulling you into a hug, he locked his eyes with you, a joyful smile on his still so beautiful lips, “You’re so annoying.”
Scoffing, you avoided his eyes, still playing hard to get, „I thought we're over the whole 'you're annoying me' phase.“
„Actually, each time I told you that you're annoying I fell in love with you a bit more,“ your boyfriend confessed, still hugging you tightly before smirking, „But you still were a pain in the ass.“  
You gave him a quick and small kiss before resting your forehead against his, “I want to spend the rest of my life annoying you.”
He let out a small laugh, his eyes closed. “Oh, that’s good,“ suddenly he picked you up, giving you no other chance as to hold onto him, your legs around his waist as he was holding you up, his arms tightly around your waist, “Because I want to spend the rest of my annoying life with you.”
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lubdubsworld · 3 years
Text
Change of Heart ( Taehyungx OC)
Chapter 1   Chapter 2    Chapter 3     Chapter 4     Chapter 5   Chapter 6  Chapter 7   Chapter 8
Summary : Times are changing. After years of being oppressed, werewolves are taking a stand against humans , demanding equal rights and fair treatment. Heading the movement is Kim Taehyung, the breathtaking heir to the Kim fortune and one of the few remaining Alpha werewolves in the country. His disdain for the human race is well known and well warranted. They killed his family after all….. He wants to change the world , to put humans in their place but when his five year old daughter takes a shine to their very human neighbor , maybe he has to start with a change of heart , first.
: Pairing : Taehyung x OC / Werewolf AU!!
Genre : Romance, Explicit Content
Chapter 9
“I believe you owe me an explanation....” My father’s voice was soft and steady, his gaze piercing as he stared at me. I could feel my skin thrum with distaste and the urge to take a shower was strong. I wanted to scrub my skin off, Eun Woo’s touch somehow lingering and heavy on me.
“Give me my phone back.” I said instead and my father shook his head.
“No can do. Those men you met? Paranoid bunch. They thought you and Eun Woo might have been recording something and they wanted me to check your phone. i had to reassure them and so, just for good measure, I destroyed it.” 
I glared at him.
“I’m still waiting for an explanation. Two weeks ago you couldn’t stand the sight of Eun Woo.... And now here you are, at my Yacht club , claiming you’re dating the man. What are you trying to pull?” My father prompted. 
“There’s nothing to say. I just... I lost my job at the preserve and I can’t really look for anything else right now Eun Woo is just helping me out.” I whispered.
My father looked surprised. 
“That’s interesting, I see your pride isn’t as strong as it was when I introduced him to you at the preserve.”
I kept quiet. 
"Good. I’m not surprised that you’ve come around to be honest. You are your mother’s daughter after all. Gold digger that she was, at least she left you some of her good looks for you to cash in one, yeah? ‘.
My breath caught in my throat, lips wobbling as tears sprung .
“But still.....the fact that you would whore yourself out to a bunch of animals, to keep him? It makes me wonder. What exactly is going on here, that I’m missing” ”
Taehyung , I thought miserably. I wanted him so badly right now that I felt like I would shatter if I didn’t get away from here. 
I glared at my father, feeling disgust well up at the mere sight of him. 
“I’m not going to do any such thing.... I’m just helping you . Eun Woo told me you’ve been looking to finish the deal and those men wanted to see me at the resort on the seventeenth. You should be thanking me right now.  . ” I said defiantly and my father’s eyebrows rose. 
And then he chuckled. 
 “I feel like you’ve bitten off way more than you can chew. But just remember, this is your doing and if things go south, i am not risking my entire reputation to rescue you. ” He said firmly. 
“I can take care of myself.” I said shortly. I clenched and unclenched my fingers , trying to ground myself. 
It was so amazing, how blind my father could be. He hadn’t suspected Eun Woo at all. Merely chalking him off as a perverted wolf who wanted to make a bit off money at his resort. Eun Woo was smart as well, being obtuse and sounding foolish on purpose, playing into my father’s belief that wolves weren’t intelligent. 
. And this would be his downfall, I thought vindictively. The way he continually thought that wolves were foolish. That he was somehow smarter than them....
“I am not sure if I trust you entirely so I’ve asked Eun Woo to keep an eye on you, till the seventeenth. You can stay with him at his apartment.  ” My father said thoughtfully
I kept my gaze down. 
“At first i considered calling the whole thing off but apparently , Eun Woo’s onto something with the whole beta wolves being into voyeurism. Perhaps that’s a whole new avenue I could look into.... Those men out there....I’ve been showering them with gifts and women for months and this deal wouldn’t come through. But Eun Woo sweeps in, dangles you in front of them and suddenly they want to finish this deal in five days? Apparently,  you’re  the secret weapon I should have been using all along?”
I glared at him.
He looked thoughtful as he stared at me. And then he nodded, features hardening. 
“So be it... You can go fuck that wolf in front of those men and I’ll get my work done. Always knew you weren’t unlike that mother of yours....” He smirked.
I felt my heart clench at that. My mother had been nothing but innocent. I recoiled when he made to stroke my cheek and he laughed again. 
“He’ll come pick you up in a couple of hours . Take a shower and fix yourself. ” He gave me one last look before leaving. 
The door slammed shut behind him and I sank to the floor. I stared around the room... groaning. 
And then my eyes fell on the small pink phone, sticking out of my bag. My dad had taken my phone but not this . It was the pair to the toddler phone that I’d bought Luna so many moons ago. After my fallout with Taehyung I hadn’t used it at all but it had remained at the bottom of my bag. It would only connect to its pair, but no matter. 
Grinning, I pulled it out, dialing quickly. If nothing else, at least dear , sweet Luna’s voice would cheer me up. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So, you’ll make all the arrangements?” Eun Woo watched Taehyung carefully, the Alpha wolf sat behind his desk flanked by two of his closest men, Kim Namjoon and Kim Seokjin. The betas were built like fucking walls , both of them narcs in the force. They stared at him, eyes narrowed in distrust and for the first time Eun Woo felt the first inklings of regret.
Taehyung for his part looked like he believed him.  A laptop stood open in front of him, and the wolf had a Bluetooth device in his ear, obviously watching something on the screen. Eun Woo wondered if he had even listened to anything he had said. 
“So that’s it? You offered them the resort and they said the deal’s going down.” He asked casually and Eun Woo nodded , realizing that Taehyung had been listening to him after all. . 
“On the seventeenth. Yoon Jae hyun’s going to be there.”
“And Mirae...?”
“Well, just as a guest...I did imply we were seeing each other so it would be less suspicious if she were also around.” Eun Woo willed himself to sound normal. 
Taehyung didn’t look suspicious but there was no telling with the beautiful alpha, who had mastered the art of keeping a straight face while destroying his enemies. And Eun Woo was well aware that if the alpha found out how he had used the girl, he would definitely be topping that list. 
“Very well. I’ll make the necessary arrangements. You can go now. I’ll contact you soon.” Taehyung said shortly , his gaze flitting back to the screen infront of him. 
Eun Woo nodded, before standing up on shaky legs, his heart pounding, instincts telling him he was in danger. But he pushed away the thought, grabbing his bag and leaving the office quickly. 
Taehyung watched him leave, claws out and digging straight through his desk to stop himself from launching across the room and tearing the wolf’s throat out. He could smell her on him. And his wolf wasn’t happy about it. 
“Fucker’s got balls, lying to your face like that.” Namjoon commented mildly, staring at the laptop, where for the past hour or so, Taehyung kept replaying the CCTV footage from the poolside camera on the yacht club. 
Taehyung stared at the screen, watching the sheer discomfort and disgust on Mi Rae’s face and he’d never been filled with so much bloodlust in his life. The urged to rip the wolves to shreds, to tear them limb from limb, it simmered in his blood. 
The potent rage in his veins stunned him because he’d never felt anything like it before. If he’d had any doubts about whether his wolf had made the right choice, choosing Yoon Mi Rae,  it was gone. The sight of those men, ogling what was  his  and his alone, it made him want to kill. 
They had to die. And he had to do it.  
Simple as that.
And he would. 
He would run them through with his claws and watch the life blood drain out of their frail, fragile bodies. 
it took him some effort to compose himself. 
“How long has he been running this little racket in his resort?” Taehyung asked casually, feeling inordinately foolish. It was unlike him to be so neglectful over something so incredibly important. How on earth had Cha Eun Woo managed to run something so illicit and horrendous right under his nose? 
He blamed himself.
 He’d trusted Cha Eun Woo, for one hot minute. Forgotten that the wolf's loyalty lay solely with himself.
Namjoon sighed, placing a file in front of Taehyung. Taehyung flipped through the pictures , stomach turning. Eun Woo had huge sprawling rooms , with beds in the center  fitted with restraints and handcuffs. Comfortable arm chairs and couches dotted the rest of the room, men lounging about as they watched the action unfold.  Women,  drugged and barely conscious,  lay on most of them and apparently, alpha wolves indulged themselves with the women.
It was the most disgusting thing he had ever encountered in his life. 
And the bastard had actually dared, actually had the fucking thought of dragging his  mate  into it. 
The mere thought of it made Taehyung laugh out loud. 
Cha Eun Woo was out of his damn mind. 
 There really was no other explanation for it. Or maybe he’d been so blinded by his own wealth and power that he’d forgotten that Taehyung was ten times as powerful as him. 
Well, whatever the reason, he clearly had a death wish. 
And Kim Taehyung was going to grant it to him. With Pleasure. 
“It’s new. or we would have caught wind of it before.” Seokjin said apologetically, “ Probably a few months at the most. He mostly uses the men to get tax exemptions or do get ordinances cleared for his resorts or you know, get out of adhering to construction regulation and stuff like that. In return for letting them watch alphas knot human women. ” Seokjin’s face was scrunched in disgust. 
“And when I let him meet Yoon Jae hyun and his cronies, he saw an opportunity to expand his clientele and he took it. “ Taehyung hummed thoughtfully. 
“Mi Rae’s with her father....” Namjoon said thoughtfully.
“Knowing that son of a bitch, he’ll probably force her to go through with it.” Seokjin shuddered.
“Well, let him bring her there. We’ll get her out. And arrest the whole lot of them.” Namjoon said with a shrug. 
Taehyung stared at them for a second. 
He had been determined to do this by the book, at first. But watching Cha Eun Woo molest his girl, while a bunch of impotent , old bastards ogled her....well, that really changed his mind about how he wanted to deal with these motherfucking idiots. 
“No.” Taehyung said casually.
Namjoon and Seokjin stilled.
“Tae?”
“We’re not arresting any of them.” He said casually. And then he gave Seokjin a slow, calculated smile. 
Namjoon’s eyes widened as realization set in. 
“Tae-” He began , looking worried but the Alpha merely stared at him.
“I’m going to trust that my two best men are going to make that happen for me?” he drawled, eyes flashing red in a way that said it wasn’t really a request.  
Seokjin groaned.
“Fine. But we’ll still have to get an arrest warrant and all that. Don’t want the guy to be hailed as a victim or a martyr after I kill him. that always pisses me off.” He said distastefully and Taehyung hummed.
“I’m going to leave that to your capable hands, gentlemen. “ 
“We’ll get things ready then. “ Namjoon said casually making to move away and Taehyung nodded, watching the two betas move to the door. 
“Good., oh and one more thing....” he called out , making them both turn. 
“What’s wrong?” Seokjin asked , confused.
“Cha Eun Woo... he’s mine. Bring him to me when you’re done with the others.” Taehyung whispered. 
Namjoon grimaced but Seokjin merely grinned. Ironically, although he looked soft and almost feminine in his beauty, Seokjin was the meaner one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taehyung came home to see his daughter giggling uncontrollably on the couch, her phone pressed to her ear and he was confused.
The only one who could call her on that phone was him and-
His eyes widened, realization hitting him hard as he all but pounced on the couch, wrestling the phone out of Luna’s hands before he could think his actions through.
“Rae...” He breathed in disbelief.
“Taehyung?” Her voice came out surprised and relieved and he felt like he was flying. It felt like liquid honey in his ears, the sweet cadence of her tone filling him with sweet blessed relief. He hadn’t even realized how badly he had wanted to hear her voice, to get some confirmation that she was alright. 
“Dada dada dada...gimme gimme ...I wanna talk to Rae Rae...!!!” Luna bounced next to him, tugging on his arm and he struggled to keep his balance. 
“ How did you call? I’ve been trying to reach you and-”
“Dada!!! Please...i haven’t spoken to her in ages...lemme talk to Rae Rae...!!” Luna’s voice was shrill and unrelenting. 
“My dad got my phone.... I’m supposed to be with Eun Woo” He could almost see her rolling her eyes as she said that and he felt fondness bloom inside him at the though.
“Dada!! Lemme talk!” Luna was beginning to climb him now and he flinched when her tiny little claws came out, easily piercing the silk of his shirt and digging into his arms. 
“Damn it! Luna will you let me talk to your mother for one damn second?!!!!!” Taehyung shouted, frustration spilling out of him before he could tamp it down.
Luna froze on his arm. 
It took him another ten seconds to realize what he just said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My heart thudded straight up to my throat, my lungs constricting so hard that I almost choked. 
I gripped the phone hard, fingers shaking as i tried to process what I’d just heard. 
“Shit... Oh shit..” Taehyung swore and I startled. 
“Don’t swear in front of her...” I hissed automatically . “ Taehyung what the fuck-”
“You’re swearing now!!” He shouted.
“Can you blame me?” I shouted back, my heart pounding. “ I’m not...what the hell do you mean mother?!!”
“I’m sorry... I don’t know why I said that.. It just slipped out.. i... you’re my mate and ... I know you told me not to call you that but I’m sorry , that’s what you are and she’s my daughter so I guess I just.. “
“We’ll talk about this later. “ I snapped, too tired to deal with his twisted feelings. “You have to get me out of here! The last thing I want to do is spend another minute with Cha Eun Woo. ” 
“God, Rae... are you alright? ..”
“I’m fine but can you get me out of here? I wanna get out of here!” I whispered. 
“Are you in your dad’s apartment? Is he hurting you?”
I sighed in defeat, knowing exactly what was going to happen.
“Let me guess....you want me to stay with the pervert till you finish saving the world.” I groaned.
“We need him at that resort on seventeenth. This whole thing is beginning to infuriate me and I’m going to end it. For good.” Taehyung’s voice carried a hard edge to it that made me wince.
“Are you gonna be there?” I asked, worried. 
“I am.”
I bit my lips.
“Did Eun Woo tell you how he got those men to agree to come there?” I asked hesitantly. 
“He didn’t but I know. Don’t worry about, I’ll deal with that....”
“If he didn’t tell you how did you know?” I asked, confused. 
Silence.
“ i planted a bug on him. And I had spycams set up around the pool.” 
“I didn’t like what he did.” I whispered. “ I don’t... I know its for a reason but the way he touched me I... I didn’t like it...” 
Taehyung didn’t respond for a few seconds.
“ Mi Rae , what he did was so far out of line that I can’t even begin to tell you how angry it makes me. But, don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m going to take care of him too. ” He said finally.
I felt myself itch with the need to get away. To reach Taehyung. And Luna..God, listening to her voice after so long....listening to her happy , joyful delight.,..
“I want to see you.” I begged, dignity forgotten. “ I want to see you and Luna.. Taehyung get me out of here!! Please.!!!” 
Taehyung groaned. 
“Baby, listen to me... just leave with Eun Woo for now , he won’t touch you, I’ll make sure of that.....”
“No you can’t make sure of that!!” i snapped. “ You don’t know how it felt to have his hands on me.... I.... I can’t bear the thought of him near me... Please, please, get me out of here.” 
A steady beeping made me jump and I stared at the phone in my hand. A red light blinked steadily on the upper edge made my heart drop. The battery was running out. Of course it was . I hadn’t used this in days. 
Tears sprung before I could tamp down on my own misery,
"Tae...Can you hear me?” I choked out. “ Tae... I can’t explain it. I feel weird.... I feel miserable and scared and to be honest, I hate my own skin right now.... Ever since he touched me... I feel like ....”
Another series of beeps and the call ended. My fingers were shaking as i stared at the phone in misery. 
This whole thing was spiraling into something scary and unpredictable and for once, the fear refused to ebb. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Taehyung...we can’t...”
“Call him.... We’re moving this thing up to tonight. I’m not waiting a whole four days to rip these bastards to shreds.  ” Taehyung roared, clenched fist coming down on the mahogany surface of his table with enough force that Namjoon heard the tell tale sound of wood splintering.
He flinched. 
Taehyung was enraged and the beta wolves felt like they were walking on literal eggshells. 
Seokjin held a hand up, trying to calm the infuriated wolf. 
“Okay... Okay...listen , we can’t just go in guns blazing and just kill some of the most  prominent men in the country, Taehyung. That’s not how it works.  ” 
Taehyung tried to keep his temper in check but it was impossible. God, the way she had sounded on the phone. Cha Eun Woo was lucky he wasn’t in front of him right now... Taehyung was going to tear him limb from limb for this. 
“So what, I just hand her over to him for the next five days?” He snarled. That wasn’t going to happen. it would be one thing if she was comfortable with it, but there was no way he was letting Eun Woo within fifty feet of her, not when she sounded so upset. 
“This is what happens when you ignore your fucking biology and act like a whole entire idiot. “ Seokjin snaps. “ There’s a reason people spend days locked in after mating!! Your bond is fragile and sensitive. Just because you don’t want to fuck her into the wall anymore , it doesn’t mean your bond is settled. She’s probably feeling just as worse....and she likely has no clue why ...” 
Taehyung felt his head throb.
“She’s human...she won’t feel the bond...” He muttered.
Seokjin scoffed.
“Are you serious, Tae? The mating bite connects you to her. You know that right? Yes, its not going to be as potent as it is for us , but human mates can sense the bond. The reason she’s so desperate to see you right now is because you carted her off with another wolf, before the bond could even settle. A wolf who for all intents and purposes sexually assaulted her.” 
Taehyung’s breath caught in his throat.
He’d been avoiding that thought , tried to downplay what Eun Woo had done, just for the sake of his own sanity. But Seokjin was right. What Eun Woo had done was just that and Taehyung had literally given him the license to do it. 
“I need to see her .” He whispered softly. 
“I’ll go get her.” Namjoon replied gently.. Taehyung stared at him, frowning.
“How?” he asked, shortly. His mind felt so foggy, so unlike himself. He was usually the sharpest man in any room, solving problems before they even cropped up, ever missing anything. But right now, he couldn’t think beyond getting her back in his arms.
“With them... I’ll go with them and tell Eun Woo I’m going to bring Mirae here..... Will that be enough? We’re this close to ending this for good, Tae. Don’t ..let your instincts mess this for you...”
Seokjin scoffed.
“Shut the fuck up, the pair of you. Taehyung stop thinking with your dick for a second and consider what we’ve been doing..... This raid has been in the works for three whole years. We’re not going to do something stupid now. Namjoon and i will go see Eun Woo....Give him a taste of what will happen if he touches Rae.... and then we’ll be back here.” 
He smiled then, wide and beautiful and even Taehyung felt a cold shiver run up his spine.
Seokjin continued, 
“ Five days from now, we’re going in, collecting enough evidence to bring the bastards down and then, to satisfy Taehyung’s bloodthirsty soul, we’ll rip a few throats out too. How’s that sound?  ”
it sounded fucking fantastic especially the last bit. 
“What if you piss Eun Woo off and he calls off the whole thing...?” Namjoon protested and Seokjin rolled his eyes.
“The mutt’s playing in the big league now. He was the one who offered them the whole show, think they’ll take too kindly to him backing out all of a sudden? Probably won’t..... He’s gonna have to stick with it. If for no other reason than to cover his own ass. ” 
“You’re not leaving Rae with him. I want to come with you guys....” Taehyung said firmly. 
“Oh, God. No. Absolutely not. I’m not burying Cha Eun Woo’s decapitated body tonight. That’s just not going to happen.” Namjoon held his hands up.
Seokjin grinned.
“As loathe as I am to admit it, Namjoon is right. You don’t have to be there. Don’t worry, we’ll be thorough. Make sure he understands we aren’t playing around. And we’ll think of something with your girlfriend. We can’t bring her to you.... Jae hyung has eyes on you , you know that. We’ll make sure she’s somewhere safe.  ” 
“You know you can trust us , Tae. We’re going to make sure this fool gets what he deserves.”
Taehyung nodded, skin still thrumming with discomfort. He wasn’t going to feel better until he saw her, but it looked like he had to wait for a while. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I stared at the two wolves flanking Eun Woo, each one holding him up by one arm, his knees bent at an odd angle. He looked unconscious . 
“Sorry. He wasn’t supposed to pass out but the fucker’s just a huge ass coward. Didn’t even last five minutes.” 
“Five minutes of what?” I whispered, staring in mild horror at the blood dripping steadily from the man’s temple. 
“Five minutes of us demonstrating what happens to people who covet things that don’t belong to them.” Seokjin smiled brightly. 
“Jungkook’s on the way here.... You know him right? Taehyung told me he’s a friend of yours.  He’s going to let you crash with him for a couple of days  That okay? “ 
I stared between the two of them.
“Are you sure? My father....” 
“Oh your father won’t know, sweetheart, don’t worry about that.  You know the original plan was for us to just warn this fool and he would come to his senses . But he chose to be an idiot and mouthed off about fucking anyone he wants to fuck.... So, Joon and I are going to keep him away from you. We owe Taehyung that much.” The wolf had a breathtaking face, impossible to look away from. 
“Can’t I go to Taehyung?” I said stupidly and they exchanged looks.
“No wonder he’s whipped. She’s gorgeous.” Namjoon muttered under his breath. 
Seokjin elbowed him sharply.
“Uh.. no. That’s going to be difficult because ....well, for starters its going to be pretty suspicious if you randomly show up at the Official residence of a Minister.”
 I flushed.
“He’s not staying at his condo?” I asked hesitant.
Seokjin shook his head. 
“He’s taking office in a few days, Yoon Mi Rae, ssi. He’s under the limelight right now. Which is why we think it would be safer for you to stay elsewhere. Your father is probably watching him closely.” 
I closed my eyes, feeling jittery. I startled when arms wrapped around me, warm and firm. 
“hey..... you alright?” The taller, dimpled wolf gave me a concerned glance and i realized I’d swayed a little. 
“I’m sorry... I’m fine.. I’m just...”
“It’s the bond.” Seokjin said gently and I stared at him.
“Bond?” I muttered, confused. 
“He claimed you. It sounds archaic but you do belong to him. Your body recognizes that even if your heart or mind doesn’t. “ He sounded almost apologetic.
I groaned.
“So I’m going to feel this way...”
“Anytime someone else gets close to you, yes.” 
I remembered how averse I had been to Jungkook touching me in the tub, that morning after. 
“So this isn’t real? I want to be with him but it isn’t real...and I can’t be with anyone else either -”
“Hey...Hey...listen. That’s not what I’m saying. Just the fact that the bond formed is proof that you guys have something special. If you weren’t into each other his wolf would have rejected the bond at once. But I’m just saying, for a few days, maybe indulge your baser instincts and stick to him, yeah? Once the bond settles , you can make better decisions without being physically affected by them.” Seokjin said gently. 
I sighed peering over at Eun Woo.
“What are you going to do with him?”
Seokjin hesitated.
“Take him to our place probably. Can’t risk him running around wrecking havoc. Don’t worry about it. Five days max. This whole thing will blow over and you won’t have to see him again.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You okay?” Jungkook placed a pair of towels at the foot of the bed, looking concerned as he stared at me. I sat on the bed, knees drawn up and arms folded over them staring at him. 
“I’m so screwed.” I whispered. 
Jungkook smiled.
“It always feels that way.... at first. Don’t worry, you guys will work this out.” 
“I’m scared. My father ...he... he’s always been a bastard but... I never saw him as someone dangerous. But I think he is. I’m scared he’s going to hurt Taehyung.” I said softly, finally voicing what I’d been worried about all along.
Jungkook gave me a sharp look.
“That’s not going to be easy. Hyung can take care of himself. I’m an alpha myself and you won’t see me going against him. Everyone knows he’s not someone you should underestimate. “
“But I’m still worried..... I... I don’t want him to get hurt.”
“I’m glad you don’t want me dead anymore.” 
Taehyung’s voice sent a jolt of electric current straight up my spine. I scrambled, turning around to the window in shock. 
The alpha sat perched on the window sill, looking entirely unbothered for someone dangling a good fifty feet off the ground. 
“Hyung , what? Get in here!!!” Jungkook hissed, reaching for him, but he was already throwing his legs over and dropping to the carpeted floor with ease. 
“Don’t trust you enough to leave her with you for the night, Jungkook-ah...” He said casually, but his eyes danced with mirth. 
Jungkook rolled his eyes.
“She smells like you now hyung.... I’m not going there ..”
Taehyung gave me a surprised look. 
“She does?” 
“The bond’s settling then.” Jungkook said. “ This is my cue to leave. Where’s your security detail hyung? Tell me I’m not going to get shot in my sleep for kidnapping the Minister for Supernatural affairs.” 
Taehyung chuckled.
“They know where I am... I’m only here for the night. I have stuff to do in the morning.” He turned to me holding his arms out, “ You okay?”
I threw myself at him without a second thought. 
It felt like gears slotting together perfectly, his arm around me calming the simmering discomfort under my skin so quickly that I went limp. 
I closed my eyes, gripping his tight, letting my eyes fall shut as I inhaled the musky , woody scent of him. I heard the door close softly behind Jungkook and Taehyung ran his palms up and down my back.
“I may possibly be the worst mate in history.” He commented mildly.
I snorted.
“There’s no competition there. You win, hands down.” I muttered. He pulled back to stare at me, hands coming up to gently cup my face.
“I’m going to kill him.” He said softly and I frowned.
“I thought he was only doing what you asked him to.” I said , frowning.
Taehyung gave me a sharp glance. His hands slipped to my wrists, tugging me to the bed. I settled on the mattress and he took his shoes off carefully. 
“God, no. Do you really think I’d do something like that?” He gave me a wounded look and i bit my lips.
“How would i know? All you told me was that you needed Cha Eun Woo to help you”
Taehyung hesitated.
“He’s been running a brothel in that resort. A brothel were old or impotent wolves can watch alphas knot human women..... Its been going on for a while. i never knew. He’s been hiding it really well.” 
I felt my jaw come unhinged. 
Suddenly, the way he had talked about how I would look, having sex with an alpha wolf, the way he had described it to those men, it made sense.
“He told them ... he made it seem like I was one of those women.” Bile rose up in my throat.
Taehyung reached out, fingers lightly gripping my waist and tugging me closer.
I hesitated, not sure what he wanted but he scooted back to lean on the headboard, long legs stretched out in front of him and he held his hand out again.
“Come here.” He whispered gently.  “ i can think better if you’re in front of me” 
Seokjin’s words echoed in my head ,   maybe indulge your baser instincts and stick to him, yeah? Once the bond settles , you can make better decisions. 
I crawled over on my knees. 
Taehyung reached out , gripped my waist with both hands and lifted me straight up into his lap like I weighed nothing. i yelped, knees hitting the mattress on either side of his waist as I tried to spread my thighs wide enough to accommodate him . 
He kept his hands on my waist, grabbing the hem of my blouse and tugging it out of my skirt. He slipped his fingers in till he grazed my bare skin, thumbs rubbing soothing circles against the heated flesh. 
“Feel good?” He whispered softly. 
I tilted my head, regarding him thoughtfully.
“When have you ever made me feel anything but good, Alpha Kim?” I smirked, my tone dripping with sarcasm. 
The fingers on my waist tightened, hard enough to bruise and I choked  , gripping his shoulders , feeling the hard jut of his shoulder blades beneath my fingers.
“Behave.” He warned softly, “ I’m trying to start this right.”
I sighed.
“Start what?”
“This.. You and I. Together. As more than just friends.” 
I straightened, surprised.
“Taehyung-”
“I came here tonight, not because I had to...not because I needed to... but because I  wanted to.  I want you to know that. I’m here not by obligation but because I wanted to see you. Because I care for you.” He stared right at me but i couldn’t help but be wary. 
I looked away. 
“That's not what you said the last time we met which was literally this morning...” i protested. 
“ Rae, I was so fucking scared. I’ve been living inside my own head for too damn long. I’ve always had these....fucking rules inside me. Rules that i couldn’t bring myself to break. I don’t break the law, I don’t get involved with humans, I don’t trust humans, I always do stuff by the book..... But today, just...seeing what happened at that pool...... I realized I’ve been so fucking blind. ”
I swallowed.
“That’s not your fault...”
“It is... “ He said shortly. “ I’ve been so caught up with keeping my own rules, with fighting humans that I forgot that not all wolves are saints either. I’ve been so focused on your father because he’s human that I didn’t even consider that the men actually funding and dueling this entire drug racket...they’re wolves like me. That it isn’t humans who exploit us but men in power. Men in power who twist the law and use it as leeway to do whatever shit they want. “
“You couldn’t have known.” I said weakly.
“I could have. If I’d wanted to.  Two months ago Cha Eun Woo built a beach side resort in Jeju Do, very close to some endangered coral reefs I remember reading about it and wondering how he could have possibly gotten a permit to do that shit. But then i never followed through with it. And I wonder if it was because I considered him a friend. A friend whose favor I would need in the future. And what does it say about me, if my moral values are so selective? I can’t act high and mighty about bringing your father down while I’ve been letting Cha Eun Woo run a fucking sex trade right under my nose.” 
I pressed a palm to his face, my heart breaking at the sheer exhaustion on his face. 
“You can’t fix the entire world, Taehyung. You’re not meant to single handedly solve every problem in the country...... “ I whispered.
He shuddered.
“But if i don’t , who will?” He stared at me. “ Someone has to make an effort right?” 
I nodded.
“Yes... You’re right. And you’ve done enough. You’ve done more than your fair share. And you can do so much more, if you let yourself relax. If you let yourself breathe when you’re drowning you can swim so much further.” 
He stared at me. 
“My daughter.” He choked out. “ She really thinks you’re her mother. “
I bit my lips in distress. 
“Tae, I’m so sorry-”
“ Her mother died when she was barely three....So she doesn’t remember her much. She only remembers her scent which was yours.... She... She really wants you with us, Rae.”
“You shouldn’t have said that on the phone. What were you thinking calling me her mother...” I whispered, shaking my head. 
“  I think I  saw you as Luna’s mother. the moment you held her that day, in the dock , in the rain. The way she relaxed in your arms...The way her face lights up at the thought of you... I... I want that for her. I want her to have that...forever.” 
I let myself look at him. 
“And what about you? What do you want? “ 
He held my gaze for a long time. I felt my heart begin to pound, anticipation clawing up my spine. 
“a bowl of patbingsu would feel great.” He said seriously. 
It took me a second to realize what he’d just said. I punched his shoulders, not in the mood for jokes at all.
“Sorry sorry...that was bad timing.” He grinned. 
“The worst. Are you asking me out or not?” I demanded.
"I am asking you to move in.” He said softly. “ As my mate.” 
I couldn’t bring myself to speak. 
“It may seems too much , especially for a human but I’m a were and I want you in my house. Want your scent there, mingling with mine and I want my daughter to see us together. I want you to be...the woman I love.” 
“Don’t throw the L word around like that . It scares me..” I muttered and he smiled.
“I’m not a teenager Rae. The L word as you call it, it doesn’t scare me. I have a daughter, I know love in its purest form. And I’m not afraid of saying it either.” 
“Well, I’m just not sure if you even mean it.” I said desperately. 
“I do mean it. I love you and I know that because I broke every rule I’ve been keeping for the past twenty years , just because of a five minute video clip of another guy touching you .” 
I shook my head.
I felt overwhelmed. 
Somewhere beneath that chaos, I was happy, of course I was. But for now, the exhaustion and weariness won out, and I edged closer, resting my head on his shoulders. 
He hugged me closer and i felt the gentle press of his lips against the top of my head. 
“Let’s sleep.” I whispered. “ I’m so tired.” 
He hummed.
“Would you like me to leave?”
I shook my head. 
“No. Stay.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I woke up sometime in the middle of the night, to find myself on my side his arms wrapped right around me, tight and firm. I wondered how numb his arm must be, and wriggled a bit, swallowing the dryness in my throat.
He grunted and gripped my waist, stopping me from moving.
“You need to stop grinding on my dick, darling.” He choked out. I froze, face flaming. 
“Sorry... I...”
“It’s alright. What’s wrong?” He whispered, fingers brushing my hair back. 
I stared at the wall in front of me, lightly stroking the arm wrapped around my waist. 
“I feel better when I’m with you.” I whispered. “ Even when i barely saw you, those months in your home in the preserve...I always felt better when you were around. It was irrational, how much I liked you and wanted to be with you, seeing as I didn’t know much about you at all... And It makes me wonder, if perhaps you and I, perhaps  we aren’t that different.” I said. 
He hummed.
“How so?”
“Maybe wolves aren’t the only ones who can sense their mates . Maybe humans can too....maybe we sense it but we’re just too scared to act on it.” 
“Why should you be scared...?”
“Because sometimes, even your mate rejects you and that stings.” I smiled. His grip tightened around me.
“I will spend the rest of my life atoning for what I put you through...” He kissed my neck and I trembled. 
“It wasn’t a sin.” I said laughing at how serious he sounded. “ It was you being true to yourself . i appreciate that.” 
“But I hurt you. I hurt my mate. As a wolf that is unforgivable.” 
“Well , then you’re lucky that I’m not a wolf, aren’t you? Because I’ve already forgiven you.”
He tugged me around gently till I was on my back, before climbing on top of me. 
“Can I kiss you?” He brushed the hair off my face.
“I don’t know. Can you?” I grinned at him. 
He growled. 
“brat.” 
He pressed his lips against mine, a soft and gentle touch that lasted for just a few seconds before he drew back. 
And then he leaned in again, this time , lips parting, soft and wet as it closed over mine, tongue sweeping across the seam of my lips, begging entrance. I relaxed into the pillows , letting him take the lead. 
Taehyung kissed like he did everything else, firm and hard but somehow careful and gentle.
 The soft press of his fingers on my chin as he tilted my face for better access, the way his tongue licked into my mouth in soft kittenish licks, the way his teeth nibbled on the plushness of my lip, only for his tongue to lick and sooth the sting right after....
His kisses tasted like scotch and honey, like spring water in the middle of summer , cool and refreshing nd reaching so far inside me that I ached for it. He was strong and warm against me, his hair felt like spun silk beneath my fingers . i traced the contours of his face , the sharp edge of his jawline, the softness of his perfect brows and the sharpness of his collarbones. 
My mind was reeling by the time he pulled away. 
“Can I fuck you ?” He asked softly and I jolted at the filthy words in that deep earnest tone.
“I don’t know Can yo-?”
He didn’t let me finish. Groaning as he sat up, gripping the hem of his t shirt and peeling it off. I watched as he shimmied out of jungkook’s sweatpants ,before straddling me again. 
“Take that t shirt off for me.” He smiled and I quickly shrugged it off. 
“Mmm.... beautiful. I love your breasts....such pretty pink nipples.” He said casually and i choked a bit when he reached down, thumbing at the hard nubs till they pebbled up under his touch. 
I threw my head back as he bent over, peppering kisses all over my jaw before moving down to lick my nipple, lips closing over the nub for one second before nipping at them with his teeth. I felt the hardness of his erection against the softness of my stomach as he grabbed my panties, tugging them off me.
“I like it rough.” I whispered into his ear and he growled, reaching forward and grabbed the hair at the back of my head, yanking me away from his face. 
“Then let me fuck your face.” He said casually, scooting forward and pressing his cock right up against my lips. I took the hard length of him into my mouth. He tasted tangy and familiar , from the texture of his skin like silk on steel , to the way slight saltiness of his precum on my tongue. I loved the way his fingers gripped my hair, just a little too tight for comfort and a little short of violent. 
I moaned in disappointment when he pulled out a little, but only to place himself properly , one hand gripping the head board for support. Bracing himself against the headboard, Taehyung threaded one hand through my hair, gripping carefully till heat seeped through my entire body at the sting of it, and then he began thrusting into my mouth gently, pushing past my teeth and deeper into my mouth. I inhaled each time he pulled out, trying to tamp down my gag reflex, as i took the entire hot, wet length of him inside my mouth. 
He picked up the pace, letting go of the head board in favor of gripping my hair in both hands, holding me in place as he fucked into my mouth till my eyes watered. 
I felt myself  dripping wet with arousal and I tapped his thighs. He pulled back to stare at me.
“You alright?” 
“Fuck me.” I choked out, throat fucked raw and voice breaking. “Need you inside me now-”
He didn’t wait for me to elaborate, grabbing my waist and turning me over at once.
“Hands and knees., grab the headboard.” He growled and I scampered to obey. 
“Good girl, Now just hold on let me make you feel good, yeah, baby?” 
I felt a soft, wet kiss right on my spine, before fingers gripped my hair again , tugging me back just as he slid right into me. 
The shock of it made me stop breathing, his cock so thick and hard it felt like I’d been split open. 
“How does that feel baby? ...” He whispered, bending over and kissing my neck. “ Am i making you feel good” I fought to get words out and then groaned when he slid back in , a little rougher and a little faster.
He stopped again, pulling out and hitting my thigh, the sharp sting making me yelp.
“Roll over, sweetheart.” He whispered and I blinked groggily, rolling over to stare at him. He grabbed a spare pillow, folding it in half before pushing it under my hips. 
i blinked in confusion as he loomed over me again, this time grabbing my leg and throwing it over his shoulder. before pushing back in. deeper this time, the tip of his cock hitting so deep that I felt a sting of pain that made me wince.
He caught the look on my face and smiled, apologetic.
“Sometimes, too big isn’t too good. You’re a little small for me, I’m hitting your cervix. Let me fix that.”  He fixed the pillow again and this time when he pushed in , it was pure pleasure, his cock brushing my g spot with ease and making me clench around him like a vice. He moved to his knees, still inside me and I groaned in protest when his weight lifted off me. 
“Wanna see you cum, angel..” He whispered, using his thumb to press and slide over my clit in smooth, little strokes . I could feel my wetness leaking all over the place and I felt my throat go dry when he scooped up the dampness, before tracing the slick wetness all over my nipples and bending low and licking it all off.
“Taste so sweet, my baby...” He whispered, “ Wanna try?”
I barely registered what he said, eyes fluttering shut and I yelped when he lightly flicked my lips.
“Open your mouth..you should taste how good you are...” He grinned wickedly. 
Before i could reply he was already slipping two fingers between my legs, collecting more of the heady slickness. I moaned as he slipped the fingers into my mouth, smearing it all over my tongue , the spicy sweetness foreign and yet arousing against my tongue.  I felt my eyes widen as the taste filled my tongue, making me clench harder around him. 
“Tell me you taste good...” He pulled back and rammed again inside me , is fingers moving back to my hair and gripping tight.
“I.. i taste good..” I stuttered.
He grinned in appreciation and held my hips, swiftly flipping us over till I was on top, his cock slipping out of me because of how wet and messy i was. I struggled to pace myself and yelped when he casually grabbed my hips, lifting me up and bringing me down till I took the entire hard length of him inside. 
“Wait...stop.” He said suddenly and I froze. And then he was sitting up and turning me around making me kneel, facing away from him and i finally noticed the large dresser mirror, right across from the bed. 
I met his gaze through the reflection, swallowing. 
“When I watched you put on make up today, the way you stared at me through the mirror and put me in my place.... I was thinking I should do this.... .stare at you through a mirror someday and put you in  your  place. Didn’t think it would be so soon, baby.” 
I panted as he moved behind me, using his hands to lightly part my thighs. And the he was pushing closer, sliding into me and I gasped, gripping him tighter as he used one hand to fondle my breast while the other wrapped tight around my hip, bracing me for his thrusts. 
It lasted less than two minutes. I came unraveled, my mind exploding in glorious white hot pleasure and his warmth washed inside me, filling me and dripping down my thighs till i fell back against him, boneless and spent .I fell forward on to mattress, my limb jelly and he groaned, draping himself over me. 
“Hope that was sufficiently rough and filthy for you, my dear.” He whispered. 
I could barely think, let alone string words together so i stayed quiet, letting him pull me closer and hold me tight. 
i shifted as he moved to settle his head on my breasts, his arms and legs draping over me while his breath fanned hot and cold against my sweat slicked skin. 
His phone buzzed right next my head and he frowned. 
And then he laughed, turning to show me the screen
 From Jeon Jungkook :
I’m in the next room hyung!! Fucking stop. !!!
 I grinned despite myself.
Good Lord. 
~~~~~~~~~
 Author’s note : 
Ummm...hi?
Guess this isn’t ending in ten chapters fml.
@veronawrites
@ladyartemesia
@bumb1e–bee
Some of you sent me an ask to be tagged but i couldn’t tag you guys...probably because you’ve made your profile private.... So I’m sorry about that.
317 notes · View notes
lokilickedme · 3 years
Text
Somebody help me chill, this is insane.
(under the cut because long and also pretty traumatic, for me at least)
Crazy neighbor, remember her?  Her son destroyed a piece of equipment we had attached to one of our trees at the fenceline last week, she denied it and called us insane liars - that’s the most recent craziness in the ongoing saga of the neighbor from hell.  I was sitting here reading my dash tonight and happened to glance over at the monitor for the surveillance camera husband got me the other day to watch that exact spot (where the equipment was smashed) and guess who I see bent over looking through the fence peering very closely at that exact spot?  Neighbor’s equally insane son, who we know did the actual dirty work.  And I, stupid like I am, took a screenshot of him and then immediately jumped up and ran outside in the dark in my pajamas (nearly 9pm, pitch black, their porch light is off because obviously they’re doing something they don’t want to be seen doing) and I ask “Excuse me, what are you doing?”
This lunatic immediately starts SCREAMING at me - I mean top of his lungs SCREAMING abusive threats, calling me a stupid psycho whore bitch, yelling at me to get my ass back in my house and generally just acting completely off his rocker unhinged nuts - and then his mother comes out and comes over to the fence and gets in my face while I’m just standing there and tells me to mind my own business.  I say I am minding my business, I saw him looking through the fence at my property right where we had vandalism happen last week so I came out to find out why he’s interested in my property.  She laughed in my face and said “No he wasn’t, he was standing right here looking at his phone like this” and she does this little pantomine of someone looking at their phone, which is funny because she wasn’t out there when he was doing it and there are no windows on that side of her house at all.  I ignored her and asked “What are you looking for?”  He kept screaming incoherent animal noises and insults from behind her so I asked again, “What are you looking for?”  And that crazy woman grinned at me and said “We’re just looking to see what kind of new devices you’ve installed!”
OMG.  She didn’t even take a breath in between lying and then contradicting her own lie.  And she’s grinning smugly at me the entire time, gesturing around pointing at our property cams and mosquito light (it flashes and apparently she thinks it’s watching her) and my bedroom window - which means she’s been snooping.  There is a cam sitting in my windowsill, aimed at the spot where the device was smashed.  Every bit of this equipment is on our property, some of it behind a privacy fence.  I tell her it’s none of her business what kind of devices we’ve got on our property, but she just yammers over me, and of course numbskull is still ranting like a psycho behind her, screaming at me to mind my own business and get back in my house and leave them alone.  At this point he’s pulled out his phone and shoved it over her shoulder toward my face and is recording me, which is just...fucking hilarious...because I’m literally doing nothing but standing there in shock and awe at how nuts these people are, and he’s still screaming abusive curses and names at me while he’s recording.
Anyway, for about 4.5 minutes we stood there with them shouting over me (I know the exact time because it was later discovered that our doorbell cam recorded audio of the entire event) and a little ways into it he screams “I WILL TEAR YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!!”
At this point psycho woman finally turns around and says “Addison Case!” and pushes him back.  He lunges at me and she tells him to go call the police (??what??  I mean...I wish he had...my phone was in my hand frozen solid, locked up because of the glitchy surveillance app I had to install to see the camera, or else I would have called them myself - but my god they really thought I was the one the cops needed to come for??).  Meanwhile I’m just standing there on my own property in the dark in my pajamas, all 5 feet and 120 lbs of me, while this rabid animal - he’s a 21 year old college boy - is lunging at me and screaming nonstop, calling me a fucking whore bitch loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear it while his phone’s camera light is in my face blinding me.  Crazy lady smiles that smug shit eating grin of hers and tells me to get back in my house, leave her alone, and move the hell away so she can live in peace.
Wow.  Just...holy shit.
This is the person who has allowed her dog to attack my very small 8 year old son on our property and send him to the hospital with injuries last year, then attempt to attack him again 2 weeks ago (he is now 9 at the time of the second attack) - again on our own property (in our back yard this time, in our front yard the first time), has allowed her dogs (multiple) to bark all night long and keep us awake (she leaves them outside and then goes away for the weekend and they bark the entire time she’s gone), then she had her crazy violent son destroy the BarkBox we put in our tree on our side of the fence last week (we put it up as a humane way to get the barking to stop without having to listen to her call us insane liars every time we complain about it).  Yet...she kept repeating over and over and over for us to leave her alone and stop harassing her.
All I could even do was stand there shaking my head.  It was surreal.  And frustrating, because they wouldn’t even let me get a word out without screaming over me, and she was doing that infuriating Karen thing where they shove their hand at your face and grin smugly while they’re telling you what you better do or they’ll call someone to make you.
I actually started laughing, it was so ludicrous.  She’s committed all those vile offenses against us and we’re the ones that need to leave her alone.  We’ve had to file four police reports against her and we’re the ones that are making her life miserable.  I just can’t stop thinking about that Liar Liar movie where the repeat offender keeps calling his lawyer to complain that the cops won’t stop arresting him and the lawyer finally yells THEN STOP BREAKING THE LAW ASSHOLE!!
It’s just like that.  My god.
SO -
She tells him to call the police again, and this limp dick shoves that phone light right up to my face and says “You think she’s worth calling the cops over?  Look at her, she don’t look worth it to me.”  And bitch starts laughing.  My god, these people are subhuman, I swear.  I’ve never seen anyone act like this in my life, over a person doing literally nothing to them.
So she finally orders her rabid son (who is just about foaming at the mouth, I swear he’s making these barking animal noises at me, it’s weird as hell) into the house and they walk away, with him still ranting like a madman until the door closes behind them.  I immediately go inside my own house and call my husband, who was way out at the back of our property in our camper (he self quarantines each day after work out there to protect us because there have been a lot of covid cases at his workplace) and he didn’t know anything was happening.  He immediately runs up to the house and I tell him I caught neighbor’s thug son messing around at our fence and that when I went out he threatened to kill me.
Tom grabs something - I don’t even know what it was, I think it was this piece of board that was sitting by the door, we’ve done a shelving project recently and a couple of leftover pieces have been there for a few days - and he stalks outside toward neighbor’s house.  I hear him yell COME OUT HERE BOY!!! and I stg you guys, if I wasn’t on the phone calling 911 I might have thought about getting naked right there and then because damn.
So anyway, let’s not go there.  This is serious by god lol (look for this to show up in a fic soon though because material like this doesn’t get handed to you for free every day).
I call 911 and say the neighbor’s son just threatened my life and for them to come quick because he’s still over there but I know he’s going to leave any second (this is his mom’s M.O, the two times the police have tried to go talk to her she gets in her car and leaves before they can get from my house to hers, and I know he’ll do the same because COWARDS).  Tom comes back and says the little pussywillow wouldn’t come out of the house.  He’s breathing fire, you guys.  Pure fucking fire.  I tell 911 to get somebody out quick before the kid leaves, and just about 2 minutes after I hang up he does just that - we see him blast past our house in his truck and he’s gone, and then the police arrive about 3 minutes after.  I’m so mad I can’t see straight.  If they’d been able to see him in the state he was in, they’d have arrested him on sight.
Two squad cars (big SUV’s) pull up and block her driveway with full lights flashing, which makes me laugh because suddenly we’ve got neighbors coming outside to see what’s going on.  I meet the officers outside, and the crazy bitch next door does the same, yelling “Hello Officer!” and waving to them as they’re coming up to my porch.
They talk to me and Tom for a long time, I tell them everything that happened, they interview Big (he and Little were inside the open door and heard it all), we fill out our statements and talk with them more until one officer goes next door to talk to neighbor.  We can hear her dripping her fake sugar and spice while they’re talking on her porch and my husband loses his shit - he heads toward her house and yells “We got the entire thing on recording, don’t even try to lie!  Your kid, threatening to kill my wife?!?”  (he’s referring to the camera in my bedroom window, which actually only recorded about 2 minutes because I don’t have it set up correctly yet, but they don’t know that). The officer yells at him to get back, which, yeah - he shouldn’t have done that, but for god’s sake the woman’s peckerhead son just literally threatened murder on a member of his family, this is the final fucking straw and he’s mad.  And as he’s coming back across the yard the officer that stayed with me points at our new doorbell camera, just freshly installed as of about two weeks ago, and asks if it’s on.  We haven’t even really figured out how to use it yet, but yes, as far as we know it’s on.  The incident happened around the side of the house, but the doorbell records audio.
God bless technology.
I invite the officer inside the house and Tom gets his phone, pulls up the app for the doorbell, and starts skipping through the recording looking for the right timestamp.  Up till this point all they have is me saying the guy screamed a lot of abusive profanities at me and threatened to tear my head off, and they’re taking me serious but probably not that serious, you know?  Neighbors fight all the time, wars start over barking dogs, things get exaggerated, we’ve all seen the TV dramas.
Until Tom finds the segment on the footage and starts playing it to them on his phone.  It’s kind of quiet because we were a good distance away, but you can hear the guy screaming just like I said he was.  The officer asks if we have a speaker we can play it through so he can hear the words more clearly, because he needs proof of threat and that’s entirely in the words.
You guys, I’m tellin’ ya, sometimes you get a chance to fucking SHINE.  My husband is a musician and this cop is asking him if he’s got a good speaker.  So within minutes Tom’s got this huge venue-style amplifier designed for broadcasting music to the back wall of a freaking stadium pulled out into the livingroom and he’s hooking his phone up to it, and then he hits play and the other officer comes back from next door to join us and I can tell by the annoyed look on his face that neighbor bitch has likely charmed him and shed a plethora of persecuted tears and spewed her lies about how we’ve been harassing her forEVER and I think for a second that it’s a total loss now, he’s made his mind up in her favor.
And then...away we go.  Tom cranks the volume on the speaker and they both lean in to listen closely.
Just about a minute into the recording they have their proof - thugnuts screaming I WILL TEAR YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!!!
Both officers nod, close their notebooks, and the second officer makes a phonecall while the first one turns to me and says “That’s terroristic threatening and it’s a class C felony.  You’re going to need to go to the PA’s office with all the reports you’ve filed against them so far and all your evidence from tonight including that recording and hand it all to them.  They’re likely going to issue a no-contact so that he can’t interact with you ever again.”
This is a victory, but it’s just the first step, and I feel sickeningly disheartened that it’s all in my lap to do everything.  I want them to go demand his whereabouts from his mother and just go get his ass and haul him in.  But no, I have a ton of legwork to do now because these horrible people won’t fucking stop.
After several more minutes of me asking questions about what exactly we need to do and where we need to go, etc etc (I’m competent but I’m also fucking rattled, someone threatened to kill me tonight and I’m blanking hard on the instructions he’s giving me) they finally wrap it up and leave.  They’ve been in my house for a half hour waiting for me to finish filling out the report (I had to ask for more paper because honey I’m getting ALL the details in there) and I can just imagine how freaked out neighbor is when she sees what time they finally move their cars from in front of her driveway.
And now I’m coming down from the weird calm that I had through the entire event, and my heart feels like it’s going to EXPLODE.  I had heart surgery two months ago, do I need this??  The pathetic part is that I know now just how stupid those people are, and I know this won’t be the end from their side by any means.  We’ll start finding more stuff broken, or he’ll start climbing over the fence back at the back of the property to steal stuff from husband’s tool shed, or my tires will get slashed.  These people are that dumb and hateful, they proved it tonight.  He said if we had animals he would kill them, and then he made the same threat against me.  How stupid does a person have to be to stand there with his phone out recording himself ranting and making threats against a woman standing in her own yard in her pajamas?  Big tough man there.  And his mama grinning at me the whole time, telling me I’m crazy and she’s concerned for her own safety because of me, while her son is standing right behind her threatening my life.
I’m just...my god, I don’t even know what to think.  I thought people only acted like this in TV dramas, seriously.  I’ve seen some shit in my life but this particular brand of stupid has up till now evaded me, but now it’s been in my face and I’m sort of in shock.
I don’t like guns.  At ALL.  Tom has always had at least one hidden carefully away, safely locked up away from the house, but now there are two inside my house in immediate grabbing range.  He insisted that I let him show me how to use them.  Rules were laid down for the boys - never touch, never, don’t even get close to them - and now there is a box of shotgun shells on my fireplace mantel and a singleshot rifle by the door.  I hate this so damn much.
Don’t pick it up unless you’re ready to use it, he told me.  Without even thinking, I said back, “If I touch it it’s getting used.”
I HATE THIS SO FUCKING MUCH
My god.  I told the cops that the drug lord that lived over there four years ago was a better neighbor than this woman.  They didn’t even laugh.
I guess they’re right, now that I think about it...it isn’t funny.
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mediocre--writing · 3 years
Text
i know we always talk about billy easily submitting to his dad but imagine this:
-
neil is charismatic, that must be where billy gets it, because he has the whole town fooled. nobody sees the demonic beast hiding under human flesh.
neil knows all the neighbors by name. he treats the custodian as he treats his boss. he offers help to old ladies with groceries and helps them cross the street.
people wonder why billy seems to glare at his father and disobey him so often; for how good a man neil is, it’s astonishing how resentful billy is of him.
billy will snark back in public, blatantly roll his eyes, flip him the bird when he’s not looking (and leave it up long enough for him to see when he turns).
the party thinks he’s an asshole who hates everyone. steve can’t believe the amount of disrespect he gives his dad. nancy and jonathan are floored at the vulgar words he speaks about him with, how he talks about him to his face.
max is more sympathetic than ever. how neil is so well known and widely liked by the people of hawkins and how nobody would ever even begin to believe a word of the truth billy could tell.
it’s almost like there’s nothing to be done. because as awful as neil is, there’s some days when billy won’t shut his mouth. and it gets him into trouble.
he’s spiteful and vindictive and vulgar when they shout at each other, but once billy is shoved against the wall, it’s a 50/50 chance he’s gonna fight back.
some days he can’t be bothered. is sick and tired of his own life, he lets the one ‘warning’ hit be enough.
other days he shoves back. he always gets shoved harder after. he’ll rile neil up to the point of maximum damage, but it’s so easy to get him angry it’s almost funny.
billy wishes, every time he gets hit, that some random townsperson would just walk into their living room. or kitchen. or billy’s bedroom. or, on one occasion, their back yard.
nobody sees billy hargrove: victim of abuse. they see billy hargrove: hates the nicest man in town. it’s ridiculous and billy can’t stand it.
he’s almost 18 now. he’s sick of hawkins and ready to leave and go anywhere but where his dad is.
but he wants one last joyride on the anger express. maybe ruin a reputation in the process.
so he acts out one day, while they’re walking down the sidewalk from a store max and susan had wanted to look at before grocery shopping.
billy knows how to get under neil’s skin. it’s one of the things he prides himself in knowing well.
he makes an off handed comment about how shitty it is that he’s being dragged into family outings. “we aren’t even a family,” he’ll say.
neil will give him a look. one that says he’s gonna get it when they’re home. where nobody can see who neil really is.
then billy brings up his mother, how she was so much better than neil could ever be. “she made the right decision to leave you,” he snickers as he watches neil’s fists clench.
a myriad of comments follow. ones about how neil is gonna lose another wife. ones about how he still can’t get billy into place. ones about how awful it must be to enjoy hating children.
there’s one more thing that he’s depending on to be the final fuse to make neil explode, right in broad daylight. bringing in the one thing neil hates most in life: “it’s too bad you’ve got a faggot for a son, huh?” billy says, just loud enough to be almost heard by the old lady walking a few steps in front of them.
when neil’s mustache curls into a pained grimace, billy knows he’s won. knows that he’s got the upper hand of the situation, even if he’s gonna get hit for it.
knows, right when the name “william,” comes out, threatening as ever, that he has won.
so he adds fuel to the fire. “do you think red or pink lipstick would look better with my complexion?” just to see the extra line that forms above neil’s eyebrows.
neil stops walking. turns to look at billy. they’re still in the middle of the sidewalk, max and susan a few feet away, stopped as well. max looks like she wants the floor to swallow her whole.
“well, you know, when i become a drag queen, i’ll have to look good, right?” billy asks his father, and it’s like he’s lost control over his own mouth. “so what’ll it be, dad? pink or red?”
and maybe the alarm bells and flashing red lights in billy’s head should have stopped him from talking. maybe he should have let this grocery trip be about getting weekly groceries.
but something about how he could see his fathers breathing speed up and his face turn so pink it’s almost purple, it’s fun.
with the added addition of seeing some of max’s little friends leaving the theatre at that moment.
right when the boys notice max, neil lunges for billy.
the old lady that had been steps in front of them has turned to see what the thud behind her was, only to see neil holding billy by his collar and his neck, shoved against a brick wall, billy’s toes barely touching the floor.
for being in such a compromising position, billy shouldn’t look as smug as he does when the old lady drops her purse with a gasp or when he sees max’s friends’ faces contort with fear. or when he sees harrington exit the movie theatre as well.
it happens quickly, the fight. billy thinks his brain went black and acted on instinct, he doesn’t remember a thing.
but the bystanders see it all. how close neil leans in to sneer something in billy’s face. how billy laughs, then lifts a knee to hit neil where it hurts.
how he stumbles enough for billy to get on his own two feet.
there’s a quick moment where neither moves, then neil rams into billy, but billy keeps his balance well, planted feet and all, and shoved neil back.
within the next minute, they’re both on the floor and alternating who’s got the upper hand. they’re decently matched as opponents, but neil has the upper hand. he’s taken billy down so many times he knows just how to bring him down physically, like how billy can destroy neil with words.
max and susan are backed up another few yards, susan holding max behind her, but not saying a thing. both are too shocked. this has never happened in public.
the party are watching from across the road, and steve feels like he should do something, because neil just slammed billys head into the cement. and he can’t really tell from how far they are, but billy’s nose is sure to be broken.
“call hopper,” steve instructs the party as he moves to walk across the street.
dustin grabs his arm before he can move far. “billy beat you once before, and now there’s like two of him, steve!”
steve walks over anyway. billy had been straddling neil prior, pushing a finger into his shoulder, before being slammed back to the ground.
there’s many different slurs being spewed from neil’s mouth, many of which change steve’s perception of billy entirely, but that’s not important now.
steve gets to where susan and max are when neil gets a grip on billy’s dangly dagger earring and pulls until it rips out of billy’s ear.
susan is staring, horrified at the scene, and max has shoved her face into the pink cardigan her mother wore, peeking out every moment or so.
when she spots steve, she doesn’t feel relived like she hoped she might, she just feels worse. more people don’t need to be involved.
“max, the party’s over there if you wanna...” steve suggests, motioning over his shoulder where the boys are crowded around a pay phone.
max pulls susan along with her across the road, glancing back at steve, who doesn’t seem to know what to do either.
what is he supposed to do? it’s not like dustin was wrong, steve’s never won a fight on his own.
luckily, right as he sees neil stand up and literally stomp as hard as he could on billy’s elbow, backwards, he hears a siren.
sees hopper’s cruiser pull around the corner and feels like a weight is both equally being lifted off his chest and being pushed down heavier.
neil is standing above billy, a few scrapes and forming bruises, ruffled clothes and a tear in the polo he was wearing, but nothing more damaged than his ego.
billy, on the other hand, is laying face down on the concrete, elbow bending in a way that is not natural and half his face covered in blood from both his nose and his ear.
neil looks only mildly frightened by hoppers appearance, and something about it rests uneasy with steve.
steve feels like he’s having an out of body experience as things happen. like he’s only there to observe, which he kinda is, but it’s hazy.
susan comes back, along with the boys following a shaken up max.
another cop, steve thinks it’s callahan, tries to wake billy up, because at some point neil had rendered him unconscious.
neil looks calm while this happens. he has an almost proud air about him as he watches a man try to wake up his son that he’d beaten so bad, he’d passed out.
it makes steve sick.
it also makes steve wonder if this were a semi common occurrence.
billy is driven to the hospital, mostly because his nose is crooked, his ear is still bleeding, and his elbow is most definitely facing the wrong direction, but they also think he may have cracked a rib or two.
neil is driven off in a cop car, callahan’s, while hopper stays to take stories.
it’s news to steve when susan and max share that this has happened multiple times, just never to such a detrimental state.
max recalls the first time that she’d met billy, he’d been wearing a cast on his arm and refused to tell her how he broke it.
steve sees billy in his head. sees the bruises on billy’s back when they’d play shirts and skins and how he’d chalked it up to a childish fight or a fun night with a girl.
sees how billy would favor his left leg for two weeks during basketball, and only wear sweats, but steve had noticed bruising around his right ankle when he’d change his shoes.
sees how billy seems to have insanely good intuition to when people are behind him or when he’s in a crowded place, always on the lookout.
sees, not justification, but a reason behind the way billy acts.
steve can’t imagine, even if his dad was like neil hargrove, having enough nerve to hit him back. even speak rudely towards him.
he recalls all the times he’d seen billy talk shit about his dad or snark at him in public. now he sees them as acts of bravery and defiance from an abuser rather than impolite and hateful towards a parent.
billy’s been fighting this whole time. and he’s been on the right side of the fight.
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delicioussshame · 3 years
Text
Socialite AU, last part! I finished a thing! Also posted on AO3 now that it’s done.
Shen Yuan had expected that the beginning of the school year would have kept Luo Binghe too busy for them to see each other more than, oh, about once a month, but it doesn’t seem to be the case. Luo Binghe is obviously very smart, so maybe that’s why he can keep up so easily. His studies sure don’t seem to stop him from having Shen Yuan over at least once a week.
Luo Binghe says it’s because he cannot trust Shen Yuan to feed himself properly, something Shen Yuan himself has profusely denied. First, he’s a fully grown adult, he can cook! Second, if he doesn’t feel like it, he can order in, or pay someone to cook for him. There are no issues there! He doesn’t need to be minded.
Not that he minds being minded. Shen Yuan has eaten more than his share of delicious food, and Luo Binghe’s stands above the rest. There are worst things than travelling to Luo Binghe’s apartment and eating a freshly cooked meal.
They don’t talk about novels as much though. This is an area where Luo Binghe had to step back in favor of reading assigned manuals. Shen Yuan has spent more than one evening reading trash by himself while Luo Binghe sat nearby, throwing the occasional question his way as he studied. Not that it seemed like he needed the help.
When does he see his college friends, Shen Yuan has no idea. Luo Binghe always waves away any concern of his on this matter. Seriously, Shen Yuan is a bit worried. Does he not fit in? It seems impossible that someone as charming, not to mention as affluent, as him would be ostracised. Even Shen Yuan had managed to gather a small group of friends during his college years. Luo Binghe must have done the same, no?
If he hasn’t, his fellow students are missing out.
In that case, Shen Yuan will take him out it their place. It wouldn’t do for Binghe to be lonely.
Not that that’s likely, considering how popular he is in their circle. As far as his female compatriots are concerned, Luo Binghe is now Beijing’s most eligible bachelor.
It’s a role that suits Luo Binghe’s public persona to a tee. He flutters between ladies as if he were born into in, flirting with one and laughing with another one with an ease Shen Yuan cannot help but envy, considering his own limited contacts with the other sex.
If those interactions often ended with a pretend fight between them, neither of them would complain about it. It was fun. Much better than insulting real people and wondering later if he’d gone too far, if he’d seriously hurt someone whose crime had only been to be born in a shitty family and raised in a similarly shitty fashion. He and Binghe sometimes rehearsed lines late into the night before a party, sentences that were meant to be biting insults turning into uncontrollable laughter.
Everything was going well. Shen Yuan’s reputation was becoming so toxic it had been weeks since the last time one of his fellow socialites had dared to speak to him, which is how Shen Yuan liked it. As for Luo Binghe, he was both admired for standing up to mean Shen Yuan, and pitied for always being the receptor of his ire. Binghe was more than talented enough to use all of it to his advantage.
All in all, everything was going perfectly.
Until now. “Excuse me?” says Shen Yuan with the coldest, most disparaging tone he has managed yet.
Sha Hualing, sadly, doesn’t seem impressed. “You can deny it all you want. It’s obvious. It must drive you crazy, seeing him with us and knowing you’ll never have a chance. He’s so good, too. Made me scream so loud I’m sure the neighbors heard. Not that you’ll ever find out yourself. Keep pulling his pigtails. He knows, he’s just too nice to tell how pathetic you are.”
Shen Yuan cannot convey to Sha Hualing how utterly from left field her theory is, and how completely baffled he is, without breaking his carefully maintained aura of disgusted condescension, but he really wishes he could. “You’re insane. How could I be attracted to… that.” He winces in his head. Too much? There are probably zero people that don’t feel at least a little attracted to Luo Binghe in this room.
But if there was one, it would be him. Luo Binghe is his cute disciple and friend, not his meal ticket. Leave that to Sha Hualing and her posse.
Her answering laugh is haughty. “Not even you believe that. Anyway, I just wanted to rub it in, but now that that’s done, I got better things to do than talking to you, like him. Fuck off.”
He flips her off as she leaves. Not his most elegant moment, but not the most elegant situation.
How the fuck did she get into her sick mind that he was into Luo Binghe. She should have thought they hated each other! That they wanted to tear each other’s throats open, not tear each other’s clothes off!
… Holy fuck their characters have ust, haven’t they? Danmei isn’t his playing field, but some things are universal across gender. There is an undeniable pull to seeing two hot people seeming like they’re two seconds away from punching each other when it also seems like they might be two seconds away from… something else.
It’s the only possible interpretation. They haven’t been careful enough, and now their roles are tainted by bad tropes!
Shen Yuan is going to have to adapt his persona a bit. Let himself run even colder. Less hate, more indifference, maybe? Or maybe he could just leave Luo Binghe alone for a few parties.
It wouldn’t work! It would seem like he chickened out after Sha Hualing confronted him! It would make it appear weak!
Could he make up a girlfriend?
Nah, no one would believe it.
Fuck, he’s going to need Luo Binghe’s help on this one.
_________________
“She what!?”
“Thinks I keep picking fights with you because I’m trying to get your attention and that I’d really like for you to bend me over something, probably.”
Luo Binghe blushes bright red.
Shen Yuan restrains his mirth. Nice to see he’s not the only one terribly embarrassed by the situation!
Yes, pinching those red cheeks would only make things worse, but he’s still very tempted.
Shen Yuan soldiers on. “Binghe shouldn’t worry about things too much. His reputation is safe. Considering how well he gets on with the fairer sex,” and yes, now Shen Yuan knows way more than he ever wanted to know about Sha Hualing’s sex life, but that’s life,” no one will doubt him. If he has no idea, I’ll think of something. It’s not his problem.”
“Shizun’s problems are my problems! He wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for me!”
Aww, Binghe, why is your indignation so cute!” Don’t blame yourself. We both agreed to the plan. It’s no one’s fault.”
Luo Binghe looks down, obviously still embarrassed. “I really have no idea where she got that. Shizun never appears to be attracted to me.”
“Who knows how Sha Hualing thinks. She probably watches too much porn.” He wouldn’t be surprised, considering how low-class she acted.
A second later, he catches his mistake. If Luo Binghe is… seeing her, he shouldn’t be that mean to her in his presence. “Sorry for insulting your… friend.” He doesn’t think they’re officially dating? Sha Hualing would never shut up about it, and anyway Luo Binghe wouldn’t have as much time for Shen Yuan if he was serious about someone. It’s probably just hormones raging.
Luo Binghe shakes his head. “Shizun shouldn’t apologise! She’s the one who was this rude! Implying Shizun doesn’t know how to court someone, or that he’d need such a ridiculous approach when a few words would be enough for him to have anyone! What a stupid woman.”
It’s Shen Yuan’s turn to be embarrassed. Luo Binghe is pushing the hero worship a little too far here. He’s got way more experience in that department than Shen Yuan will ever get, probably. “Well, if you don’t like her, maybe choose someone better as a partner? You could have anyone. I know it’s none of my business, and I guess she’s attractive, but really, so are many others who don’t share her… fiery temperament.”
If he were honest, he’d just tell Binghe he deserves better.
Much, much better. Didn’t he see her chatting with Liu Mingyan the other day? Now that’s a woman worthy of his Binghe, almost his equal in all fields.
Not that he needs to find someone just yet. He should take his time, and find someone he likes.
Luo Binghe snorts. “I would never choose her.”
Shen Yuan blinks. “Didn’t you?”
Luo Binghe looks wounded. “Why would you think that? I would never be with someone this cruel to Shizun!”
“But she said… oh.” Shen Yuan is an idiot. Why, why did he, even for a second, believe what that snake said? “Binghe must let me apologise. I’ve been stupid and have believed her when she said you and her were… involved.”
“Shizun mustn’t believe her! She lies!”
Shen Yuan pats Luo Binghe’s back gently. “I don’t! I don’t. She lied. I don’t believe her anymore. Of course Binghe has better tastes than this. I should have known.”
Luo Binghe raises his chin. “I do. I have the best tastes.”
Shen Yuan lets a smile appears on his face. “You do. After all, you have chosen me to guide you.”
Luo Binghe nods with almost comical vigour. “Yes!”
So! Cute! Shen Yuan wants to give him a hug!
He won’t, because he’s the dignified older friend.
Who reads bad online novels, but let’s not linger on that. “So, what do we do about her imagination? Because she cannot keep a secret to save her life, so I expect people will talk about it the next time we attend the same event.”
“…Does Shizun want… a girlfriend?”
What does that have to do with anything. “If I meet the right person, sure. Why?”
“Does it matter what they think? They never cared about Shizun to begin with. Who cares if they think he’s attracted to me. It doesn’t change a thing.”
Well, yes, but. “It makes me look pretty pathetic. It’s not exactly a fun reputation to have.”
“What does?”
“That I want someone and the best thing I can do about it is insulting them? It does make me look like a kindergartener.”
An unholy light appears in Luo Binghe’s eyes. “So what if that wasn’t the best thing you had done?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Shizun feels pathetic because he doesn’t like the idea that people think he wants someone and he doesn’t know how to get them, right? But what if he did?”
Shen Yuan is very confused right now. “Binghe?”
“We knew each other before that first party, right? So I let them know that. We could be bitter exes!”
Shen Yuan looks at him, completely frozen. “Binghe, no.” That is 100% a terrible idea.
“Why not? It would explain everything! Why we’re so mean to each other while I’m nice to everyone else, why you’re worst to me, and why there’s tension between us!”
There is no tension between them! They’re playing characters! “People would think you’re gay!”
“I’ve been flirting with women all the time. People would think I’m bi.”
“You’ve just told me you haven’t been dating! What if they think you’re hung up on me, who, by the way, is a man!”
“Is it that bad? I wouldn’t mind. Shizun is someone I would certainly be hung on if he had left me.”
“So I’m the one who left you now? That makes even less sense! Why would someone like me leave someone like you! Of course Binghe is the one who left!”
“If I were dating Shizun, I would never leave him! He has to be the one who left me!”
Shen Yuan rubs his temples. He knew the conversation wouldn’t be simple, but it has reached unprecedented levels of nonsense. “Let’s forget who left who. We’re not doing that. Binghe would ruin his reputation to only slightly better mine. That makes no sense.”
Luo Binghe pouts. “It would have worked. I would have made a very good ex-boyfriend.”
Shen Yuan pats his back again. “I’m sure you would have. I, on the other hand, would probably have been terrible at it.”
“Why?”
“How could I have pretended to not only have dated Binghe, but to have separated from him? No one would believe it. My talents aren’t up to the task. I can’t make myself look like a plausible boyfriend to Binghe.”
Luo Binghe sighs. “That’s stupid. Shizun might as well have been my boyfriend lately.”
Shen Yuan feels a headache coming. He can barely follow the logic of this conversation. “Binghe, I don’t understand.”
“Shen Yuan spends most of his evenings with me. I cook for him. He takes me out. We’ve been writing to each other for months. He’s been carefully curating my reading lists for most of those months. He has plenty of reasons why I would be dating him.”
Okay, let’s just ignore most of that. “Nothing you listed has anything to do with the character we play for those society functions? High society Shen Yuan probably only reads classic literature, when he’s not working his high-power job and, I don’t know, checking stocks or playing the guqin. Nothing appealing there. How would we have even met?”
“Via work? Maybe you had a meeting with some executive of my father. Considering my reputation, we probably just had sex and ended up dating later on.”
Shen Yuan tries to imagine being the kind of person who would see Luo Binghe and think he could just hit that.
Impossible. Does not compute. “Look, I’m just going to ignore it. It’s always worked before. We probably shouldn’t change it.”
“But things always staying the same is bad! They must evolve!”
Shen Yuan shrugs. “Not necessarily. My life has mostly remained the same since I’ve graduated, and it’s perfectly fine.”
Luo Binghe flinches like a kicked puppy. “Is my arrival so unimportant to Shizun?”
Fuck. “No! That’s not what I meant! I mostly meant my romantic life!” Not really, he meant his life his general, but it is quite insulting to Binghe to imply he had no impact on his life, not to mention just an outright lie.
“That, too, should change.”
“It sure won’t if everyone thinks I’m gay.”
Under Luo Binghe’s breath, barely audible to Shen Yuan, “It’s not exactly an impediment.” Then, louder. “Let’s tell them the truth, then.”
Shen Yuan instantly panics. “Binghe, they can’t know the truth, it’ll fuck everythin-“
And that’s when Luo Binghe’s tongue finds its way into Shen Yuan’s mouth.
Shen Yuan’s mind freezes completely.
Luo Binghe keeps on kissing him.
Shen Yuan’s mind keeps trying to reboot.
Luo Binghe pushes back and sighs. “Does Shizun understand now?”
Nope. “…We can’t be exes if we’re kissing?”
“Forget the exes. Let’s just tell them we’re having sex. That’ll be the true part. We’ll just tell them it’s hate sex. I’ll tell them you’re just that good and I can’t resist you. That way, you won’t be pathetic, right?”
Shen Yuan’s slowly rebooting mind cannot decide if the “reputation for being gay” part would outweigh the “reputation for having seduced Luo Binghe” part.
Wait. “We’re having sex?”
Luo Binghe falters. “If you want to? Because I want to. A lot. But we’re pretty much dating and Shen Yuan didn’t seem to realise, so I thought maybe he’s not attracted to me, but you keep acting like I’m the best thing that ever happened to you when really, the reverse is true, and can we date already? Please?”
Shen Yuan opens his mouth.
Shen Yuan closes his mouth.
Shen Yuan tries to understand that, apparently, Luo Binghe has been trying to date him? Him? Luo Binghe? And him? As a couple? That is a thing that is apparently on the table?
Wait, Shen Yuan actually is a person who could have looked and Luo Binghe and have hit that!?
Woah.
“I…”
Luo Binghe’s eyes grow even wider as he waits for Shen Yuan’s response.
As if Shen Yuan ever had the capacity to tell Binghe no.
As if he ever wanted to. “Okay. Let’s try it.”
A second later, he gets an armful of overenthusiastic Binghe trying to choke him with too much tongue.
“But we’re not playing bitter exes.” Shen Yuan really has no belief in his ability to pretend he left Luo Binghe.
That he had him and is devastated he doesn’t anymore, sure. But that he’d manage to be cruel to Luo Binghe about it? There’s no way.
“That’s fine. I like the one with the hate sex much better anyway.”
To be honest, so does Shen Yuan.
_________________
Shen Yuan positions himself in such a way that he can track Luo Binghe’s movements across the room without looking like he’s doing more than reading on his phone.
He can tell from Sha Hualing’s particularly vicious grin that she’s about to deliver what she considers to be a crippling blow to his reputation.
He thrills when the expression melts, replaced by horror as Luo Binghe’s face turn sheepish. He can almost hear his embarrassed tone as he admits to the moral failing that is sleeping with Shen Yuan, universal pariah.
He can distinctly hear the cries of dismay and what he knows are roars of utter jealousy.
None of it shows on his face, but Shen Yuan grins.
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katsukisblackteddy · 3 years
Text
You Have My Heart...
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Word Count: 2.14 k Pronouns: feminine (she/her) Pairings: K. Bakugou x reader Warnings: gore, dark fic ahead, violence, cursing, death
Thanks Marie ( @dailydoseofscenarios​) for letting me be part of the server event! I had a lot of fun writing this, and as you can tell, I took the prompt kinda literally...anyways....I hope you like it! Don’t forget to check out all of the other fics in this event under the server event hashtag!
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The ash blonde sat in the oversized red leather arm chair that faced the large window overlooking her garden. He let out a soft sigh, readjusting his position to get more comfortable as he leaned his chin in the palm of his hand. 
“What am I supposed to get her, that she doesn’t already have?” He questioned aloud, his crimson eyes shifting to the side as the large dog beside the chair let out a sigh himself moving into a laying down position, as if to say, I don’t know why you’re asking me. 
“You aren’t very helpful, Khan.” Katsuki muttered, as his eyes focused back on the window, a ghost of a smile pulling at his lips at the sight of his beloved wife in the garden below. Khan let out a whine in protest, as a close lipped smile grew on his owner’s face a moment later. “I’ll ask Shitty Hair.” Katsuki stood to his full height, the large black dog standing as well, prepared to follow him.
The ash blonde and his loyal dog walked down the long expanses of hallway, ornately decorated with golden accents, on the way to his private quarters. “Good day, Master Bakugou. Please give my best to the Mistress.” A few servants said as he passed them in the hallway, simply nodding in acknowledgement before he closed the heavy wooden doors to his study.
“Khan get me the ink.” Bakugou stated without looking up from where he was writing, the quill held firmly in his left hand, an almost empty ink well beside the letter he was in the process of writing to his best friend. “Good boy.” He threw the dog a treat as a reward before going back to writing, Khan settling at Bakugou’s feet once more in content silence.
“Dear Shitty Hair, Help me or else. What do I get Big Hair for Valentine’s Day? Come over and help me now. I won’t help you next time with Raccoon Eyes if you don’t help me. Signed, K. Bakugou.” The explosive man read aloud, nodding once before shoving it roughly into an envelope. He scribbled the information down before sealing the expensive stationary with golden wax, pressing the Bakugou Family Crest into the warm wax to leave an imprint.
“You!” Bakugou’s loud voice startled the butler walking past him in the hallway, the man blinking up at his employer nervously. 
“Master Bakugou?”
“I don’t care how you get this to Kirishima, just do it. And get it there by this afternoon.” Bakugou told him before walking away. He didn’t have to tell anyone anything twice, and he liked that.
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A number of hours later, one of the servants announced that Kirishima had arrived, while Mina went to the garden to spend time with (y/n). 
“So is there a reason a winded man servant showed up at my door some time ago? You aren’t a father yet...are you?”
The ash blonde scoffed, quickly dismissing the idea with a roll of his eyes. “Fuck no.”
“Well, you aren’t getting any younger...”
“Well, I’m not getting any older either...”
“Don’t counter my point with another point.” Kirishima argued back as Bakugou rolled his eyes and flipped the redhead off with a small smirk.
“Whatever.” Bakugou stated as they both sat down in a chair. “I can’t think of anything to get (y/n) for Valentine’s Day.”
“It’s your anniversary, too right?” Bakugou nodded. “How many years?”
“183.” Bakugou said after a moment in thought. Kirishima stayed quiet as he thought.
“Do you remember how we all met each other?”
“You mean on our wedding night?” The blonde snorted as Kirishima rolled his eyes.
“Well, I guess...but you remember the first time you saw her right?”
“Well yeah, but she was just an extra then...I didn’t even know she was the woman I was going to marry.”
“What did you do? You weren’t an asshole to her, were you?” Bakugou simply glared at Kirishima. “Damn, you were.” Kirishima frowned.
“That’s a lie, Shitty Hair!”
“Whatever, just give her something super unconventional. Mina loves those types of gifts.” 
“Like what?”
“Well, you remember those super exclusive auction seats that we scored a few decades back?”
“Which ones? The Body is Art ones?”
“Yeah...well, I contacted Pierre and he lined up this whole private show and he let me harvest the different pieces...anyways, Mina loved it....We ended up keeping a few things.” Kirishima shrugged.
“How did you contact Pierre? Didn’t he say he hated technology?”
“That just what he tells everyone. He owed me a favor from a while ago. Anyways, the man loves you, I’m sure he’d do it for you in a heartbeat.”
“Whatever.” Katsuki shrugged dismissing the idea, but he would definitely look into it later. “Are you staying for dinner or not?”
“Are you asking?”
“Answer the question, Shitty Hair.”
“Sure!” Kirishima smiled widely, showing off his sharp teeth before the pair of friends decided to join their partners outside in the garden.
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“Hey Mina?” (Y/n) questioned, looking over at the pink skinned girl who had her back against a tree. Mina’s eyes focused on her, a kind smile on her face.
“I’ve been thinking of what to get Katsuki for Valentine’s Day...and I want your opinion on it...” (y/n) trailed off, growing slightly nervous that Mina would think the gift was weird or stupid.
“If you wanted to model lingerie for me, you could’ve just said that...though Bakugou wouldn’t care if you were in a sack or lace...have you seen the way he looks at you? How do you not have gremlins...I mean children yet?”
“Mina! Get your head out of the gutter! I’m not modeling lingerie for you...right now at least...and we’re too young for children...”
“You’re 200 years old, but keep lying to yourself.” Mina teased as (y/n) rolled her eyes at one of her best friends, her face still slightly hot from what Mina had said earlier.
“What’s the surprise then? If it isn’t you in new lingerie or a child?”
“So...I thought it would be fun to recreate the night we first met?”
“But you literally just said you weren’t giving him lingerie.”
“Mina! The actual first night we met! Not our wedding day!” (Y/n) laughed, throwing her hands up in mock exasperation.
“Oh...the hunt? Ohhhh, the hunt.” Mina’s smile grew wider the longer she thought about it.
“That’s perfect! But the lingerie thing would’ve been nice too.”
“Mina! If you wanna see me in lingerie, then you should’ve just said that.” (Y/n) giggled before further explaining her plans for Valentine’s Day. 
It was the only plan she could think of for the man she had loved for almost all of her life...a man that seemed to have everything he could ever want.
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ON VALENTINE’S DAY...
“I don’t understand why you couldn’t have just hired more people to help.” Mina complained while straightening a string of lights. 
“It’s more fun, and besides, all of the girls are back together!” (y/n) commented, gesturing towards all of the girls that were gathered around the room, each hanging different decorations.
“How long has it been since we’ve all been in the same place?” Ururaka questioned with a wistful sigh.
“At least 30 years.” Momo chimed in. “We really do need to see each other more.”
“Then we should have more balls, like we used to.”
“This isn’t a ball, Tsu.” Mina pointed out. “It’s the hunt. You know, like we used to have way back when.”
“Wait a second...where are we getting the prey from?”
“Aren’t you vegetarian?”
“No, Iida and I gave that up like 5 years ago.” Midoriya laughed. “Iida just likes sustainably sourced and organic.”
“Oh come on, you haven’t ever just gone to a night club to pick up a few?” Mina teased as the girls, Midoriya, and Denki laughed. 
“No, that’s so 1960s, Mina.”
“No, that’s date night.” Mina corrects as (y/n)’s face heats up slightly as she laughs.
“We’ve done it a few times...not recently though, we’ve been pretty busy...one of our neighbors called the cops because she thought she saw us doing something suspicious.”
“What were you doing?”
“Well we may have been hiding a body, but that’s besides the point. That old lady should’ve minded her own business. It’d be a shame if she were to suddenly...go missing.” (Y/n) mumbled with a roll of her eyes as they all laughed.
“Alright, everyone go change! We’ll be starting in three hours!” Jirou announced, ushering everyone to different parts of the large castle to change into their special outfits. 
It only took everyone an hour and a half to two hours to get ready, the last hour was spent doing finishing touches and everyone calling their partners to come as a surprise.
“Oi Shitty Girl! What’s the problem? You aren’t hurt are you?” The aggressive blonde questioned quickly, his red eyes gliding over (y/n)’s body as if checking she was ok for himself. 
“Then what’s the problem?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow at her as she placed a blindfold over his eyes. “Shitty Girl, what are you doing?”
“Be patient, Katsuki. You’ll like the surprise.” (y/n) said in a teasing voice as she led him into the large ballroom. The sun had just sat and the night sky was dark and littered with stars that could be seen from the windows.
“What’s all of this?” Katsuki questioned, finally removing the black blindfold as he scanned the room, surprised to see all of his friends equally surprised from where they stood with their partners. 
“Surprise! I thought it would be fun to recreate the party that happened the first time we met each other. Happy Valentine’s Day!”
“We’re going on a hunt?” Denki questioned excitedly, practically bouncing up and down as Jirou just smiled lightly at his antics.
“Duh.” Jirou mumbled from beside him with a quick roll of her eyes as everyone made their way outside. 
“Ok here’s the rules...and it’s the Valentine’s Day edition! So there’s 20, whichever couple can get the most hearts wins.” Midoriya announced with a large smile on his face. “(y/n) release them, and we’ll give them a minute long head start.”
(y/n) walked over to the where the 20 individuals were lined up single file, metal cuffs around their wrists and longer ones around their ankles. Each one wore a black leather collar with a number from 1 to 20 on it. “You evil bitch! Let me go!”
“Where are your manners, Thomas? You were so good up until now...I wouldn’t want to have to make an example out of you.” (y/n)’s voice was kind and soft, but the look in her eyes was anything but that. 
“Why are you doing this?” Thomas questioned, his blonde hair falling into his light eyes as she stared in fear at the group around him before meeting (y/n)’s eyes once more.
“It’s fun, Thomas.” (y/n) told him, patting him on the head before releasing everyone’s cuffs. “Go ahead...you’re free now.” (y/n) urged as they all just stood there with blank stares. They continued to stand there, looking at each other. “I said go!” (y/n) repeated, her eyes practically glowing in the light of the full moon. The soft light shining against the sharp points of her canine teeth. 
The group of 20 broke off into a sprint, disappearing into the tree line as Iida looked down at his watch. “Is it time yet?” Denki questioned, obviously ready to begin.
“Almost.” Iida replied shortly, a smile growing on his own face as the seconds counted down to zero. “Now!”
Everyone ran after that, disappearing into blurs with the speed they were moving. (y/n) ran with a long spear, the silver tip shining in the moonlight as she jumped forward, releasing the spear into the unsuspecting number 13. 
13 fell to the ground after looking down at the sharp spear poking through his chest. No sound leaving his lips since it had all happened too quickly. “One down!” (y/n) called out, seeing the recognizable flash of blonde that belonged to her husband. 
Katsuki came to a stop beside her, his hands stained red along with his lips. He smiled at her. “Two, actually.” He told her, showing her the heart in one of his hands. “Happy Valentine’s Day...I’ve already given you my heart figuratively, so now I’m giving it to you physically.”
“Aw, that was cute.” (y/n) laughed before accepting the gesture. “You can have mine too.” She added after her laughter died down, picking up the bloody organ from number 13 before holding it out to Bakugou.
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aceofshitposts · 3 years
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another shortish drabble that’s sort of part of a bigger thing but i’ve already got my fingers in too many pies. I also keep posting things to the wrong damn blog so there’s that. Anywho this has a follow up I’m planning on posting for jaytim week but both of them could be read separately lol. It’s more pining Jay cuz I’m predictable as fuck but now featuring special guests: Stephanie and Cass.
ALSO! my inbox is open for sentence/dialogue prompts! I use them as warmups if anyone’s interested :)
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Stephanie’s apartment is your average, shitty Gotham affair. The kitchen is jammed into the corner right beside the front door and the living room crowded with a couch and coffee table that is currently pushed against the sliding glass door of her equally shitty balcony. Jason knows Tim has tried several times to get her to move, somewhere with less cracks in the wall and a more reliable water heater at least; but Jason and Stephanie are cut from the same cloth and he knows that no matter how much Tim may pester her she will stay here out of pure spite until she damn well decides otherwise herself.
Despite the ramshackle appearance, the apartment is currently crowded with laughter as Tim spins Stephanie around the cleared space of the living room, Cass randomly picking music for them to dance to from the spot she’s curled up on on the couch. Jason opens the oven, thankfully cooperating compared to the last time he’d been here to try and make a cake, and removes the chicken lasagna Stephanie had begged him to make hours before.
“Don’t you dare dip me!” Stephanie shrieks over the sound of Tim’s slightly manic laughter as he pushes forward into her space, obviously intending to dip her.
There’s a loud THUD that shakes the floor as Stephanie flails and Tim loses his balance, landing them in a pile of limbs on the floor. Jason imagines if Stephanie’s lower neighbor is home they’ll be hearing about this soon.
“I told you not to dip me, dingus!”
“I wouldn’t have dropped you if you didn’t go dead weight like a stone!”
Cass turns her head to look at Jason, Tim and Steph still laughing on the floor, and says, “children,” in a tone that is both endearing and bone tired.
Jason leans over the kitchen counter, putting his weight on his forearms as he watches Tim and Steph begin to wrestle on the floor; arguing over who could dip who and whether they should test this theory at the next gala Bruce drags them too. Tim might know how to do a passable box step but Jason knows Stephanie would just step on his toes, maybe even on accident, if they attempted a dance. Jason hasn’t been to one of those fancy parties in years, being legally dead will do that to you, but part of him thinks he wouldn’t mind trying to dip Tim.
Just to see the expression on Bruce’s face, of course.
It’s hard, sometimes, when everything feels as easy as breathing to remember the road that lead here. Jason doesn’t want to forget, eyes drawn to scars he remembers tracing on previously blank skin on Tim, it feels irresponsible. The way they’ve all managed to match their broken edges and stitch themselves back together is nothing short of some kind of miracle, the peace they feel now was hard fought for and won and sometimes they still snag on each other’s barbs. Tim spent so long closed off from all of them, no thanks to some of Jason’s own actions. Seeing him now (they’ve stopped wrestling and are instead pressed shoulder to ankle  on the floor with their heads ducked under the coffee table, talking in hushed but no less giggly tones) feels like something Jason shouldn’t be allowed to be here for.
It wouldn’t be the first time he withdrew in a panic, feeling like the walls were closing in and the ceiling was about to drop. Out of everyone in this room, Jason knows he’s the biggest threat; the one least deserving of the peace they find themselves. Least deserving of Stephanie pestering him until he agrees to come to her shitty apartment and make homemade lasagna, the way Cass won’t take no for an answer when she decides they’re going to play rooftop tag after patrol, how Tim smiled when Jason had walked through the door with an armload of groceries.
They’re all misfits in their own ways. Even if things are smoothing out with the rest of the family, the four of them have carved out their own irreplaceable spots in each other’s lives. He might not deserve it but Jason knows now that each one would drag him back kicking and screaming if he tried to run. Tim had, quite literally, had to beat the idea that he’d long since forgiven Jason into him at one point. Sometimes he still rolls his eyes and punches Jason in the shoulder, seemingly having developed a sixth sense for Jason’s personal pity parties.
“You’re soft,” Cass says, apparently having moved from the couch to stand next to Jason in the kitchen like a fucking ninja. Jason is not ashamed to admit he jumps.
His eyes slide from Cass back to where Tim is lying on the floor with Steph and back again. Stephanie cackles and Tim sputters something incomprehensible in response, shoving her shoulder in an argument Jason can’t quite hear.
“When you look at him,” Cass clarifies because he definitely needs it.
“Uuuh,” Jason says eloquently, eyes roving around the ceiling (is that mold? He should let Stephanie know so she can tell the landlord), desperately searching for the exit to this conversation. He clears his throat, remembering the cooling lasagna resting on the stovetop, and raises his voice, “food’s ready!”
Cass gives him a look, the one of a deeply disappointed sibling. It’s a look Jason knows well. Tim and Stephanie are getting up, Tim punching her again in the shoulder and saying something Jason can’t hear over the pounding rush of blood in his ears as Tim finally looks towards the kitchen and grins directly at Jason. It’s a good thing he was leaning on the counter because Jason thinks his knees went a little weak.
“Don’t worry,” Cass says, voice firm but quiet, knocking her shoulders in his, “he’s soft looking at you, too.”
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rightintheguts · 3 years
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The Witch of Birmingham
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Decided to re-post this, so here's the summary: Her family wasn’t the same after the War. Her father lost a leg; her brother an eye; her sister a husband. And for Bianca? She lost her family in the aftermath.
Though, she’d be damned if she let the tragedy of that war consume her, as it had her family.
With a split decision, Bianca leaves her family, transitioning from the scenic sight of Galway, to the industrial streets of Birmingham, hoping for a fresh start away from the memory of her broken family.
She gains employment at a local business, and she falls into a steady routine. A routine that soon takes a turn, when on one afternoon, a group of Blinders comes looking for her boss for due money. Wonderful.
The chapter begins under the line.
Chapter One:
Birmingham was vastly different from Galway. With that singular thought, Bianca made her way off the over-packed train, and onto the equally crowded platform, using some effort to stay afloat with the mass of strangers that she was crammed in between. She hissed out a curse when she almost tripped over the heeled shoes of a blond woman. Shooting out a hurried apology to the Miss in question, Bianca was once again sucked into the departing crowd. Soon enough the crowd thinned, and she was able to separate herself from the lot of them; she took a moment to gather herself, not used to being in such overly large crowds.
Once she took stock of both herself, and her belongings she looked around the platform, watching as others boarded the train; some hurrying off to wherever they’re meant to be.
Her gloved hands twisted over her suitcase, chest twinging at the sight of families reuniting, or bidding farewell. Her mind conjuring up the image of her own family, before she willed it away: there was no time thinking of that. No, instead she should focus on finding her way to her newly purchased flat, a thought that felt odd to her--of having her own space, but she welcomed the feeling, even though it frightened her. Be brave, Bianca.
Taking a deep breath, she held it and closed her eyes. No more ‘Theo’. once I open my eyes, I’ll only be ‘Bianca’. Exhaling, a smile bloomed across her face, and her eyes snapped opened a second later. With her head held high, Bianca briskly strut through the doors of the train station, and out into cobbled streets of Birmingham.
_____________
(A Month Later)
The moment her neighbors started screaming at each other, was a clear indication that she needed to get ready, and start the day. Bianca groaned into her scrunched-up pillow, rolling onto her side and sitting up, haphazardly tossing her quilted covers to the side, as her bare feet touched the worn hardwood floor. Who needs an alarm clock, when you have the Hughes?
Lord, bless them! Sighing in resignation, Bianca sluggishly rose from her creaky mattress, and began her morning routine. She was never a morning person, and moving to Birmingham sure as hell didn’t change that.
Setting her copper kettle to boil, she finished pinning up her blonde hair, all-the-while glaring heatedly at the wall across from her. Throughout the month she’s been here, the couple have made it a habit to argue from the early hours of the morning, to the very moment Mr. Hughes arrives home from either work, or the local pub. The only time she gets a hint of peace, is when she is out of her bloody flat, and those few precious hours before Mr. Hughes gets home.
Thankfully, Bianca had managed to concoct something during her second week here, that could instantly knock her out when she needed to rest.
Though, perhaps I won’t need that now? Bianca had made it her personal mission to either befriend, or get to know her neighbors to some extent. What she had learned during her first week, was that Mr. Baker hated visitors, but he had liked the apple crumble she had brought him; the Millers, were an elderly couple who were very fond of her pies.
Finally, there were the Hughes: Mr. Hughes was a short, and stocky man with a ruddy face, and even ruddier hair. Mrs. Hughes on the other hand, was a thin, bird-like woman with short brown hair, and a tired face. They had been pleasant, completely different from the screaming entities she had conjured within her mind in those first few days.
She eventually found out that the Hughes were having trouble in the marriage bed--or rather, Mr. Hughes was, ahem, having trouble downstairs, to the increasing frustration of Mrs. Hughes. So, naturally the couple began taking their frustration out on each other--thankfully, their fights never escalated to anything physical.
With that train of thought, Bianca made her way to her small pantry and briskly opened it. Finding what she was looking for, she snatched it up, and closed the pantry door with her hip. The kettle let out a startling hiss, almost causing her to drop the small vial, but she quickly righted herself and stuffed the glass solution into her bra.
After finishing her morning tea and toast, Bianca slid into her coat and donned its matching hat. Mr. Hughes had left just as she had finished fixing her tea, so she was secure in knowing that she wouldn’t be spotted by him. Gathering the rest of her things, she exited her flat and locked the door, before she ambled to her neighbor’s door.
Rapping thrice upon the scuffed wood, she waited until a haggard looking Abigail Hughes opened the door. Her friendly grin was met with confused eyes, before they turned sheepish.
“I, I’m sorry Bianca, were we too--?” The woman’s apology was cut short when Bianca reached into her blouse, and plucked the safe-kept vial from the insides of her bra. Holding it out for the woman, who took it after a few short beats, Bianca instructed her to place a drop of the liquid into either her husbands food, or drink.
“W-what--” Once again, the woman was cut off.
“No more than a drop, eh? And first time’s free charge--the next will be three pounds 50.” With that, she turned on her heel and strode out her apartment building.
________
Her earlier cheeriness lasted up until she stepped through the door of her workplace, and punched in her time card, where she happened to catch sight of her desk: riddled with piles of meeting notes--notes that she would have to spend all day typing up, and filing away. Shoulders slumping, she withheld a sigh and replaced her card in it’s designated slot, then Bianca made the short trek to her, now, cluttered desk. She had just placed her purse down, when her boss suddenly opened his office door with a loud bang, startling her before abruptly barking her name.
“Ms. Kovac!” upon not immediately seeing her, the man called for her again, before said woman pushed the door back a smidge more, revealing herself. Mr. Thompson jumped, though was quick to try and play it off as a mere shuffling of his feet.
“Yes, Mr. Thompson?” she asked, forced smile stretching across her face. She could already feel a headache coming on, and it was barely the start of her work day. The man produced an even larger pile of documents for her, carelessly thrusting them into her limp arms, causing her to scramble in order to not drop them--which was possibly his intent, if the unsatisfied frown was any indication.
After briskly informing her that these documents, along with the ones on her desk, will need to be finished today, he closed his office door and then headed for the entrance of the small office building.
“Oh, and keep tabs on my messages, yeah?” with that, he exited the building, leaving her slack-jawed and wide-eyed.
Oh, damn that man! Snapping her mouth shut, she huffily slammed the papers on her desk, before closing her eyes and took in a lungful of air. Counting to ten, Bianca told herself to calm down--she needed this job, that she should bare a stiff-upper-lip and march through the day. It was only six hours.
Reaching ten she exhaled, and opened her eyes. Sitting down at her desk, she lugged the documents onto her piled desk, and readied her type-writer, officially beginning her day.
_____________________
Around lunch-time, the office door opened and closed, followed by long, sure steps that languidly made their way towards Bianca, though she was far too focused on her work to notice this. She had made a surprising amount of progress with the mountain of documents, and with her decision to work through lunch she was confident that she wouldn’t be forced to work over-time.
The only sound after that, was the fast rhythmic tap, tap, tap of her type-writer, fingers flying over the keys; eyes solely focused on her task, and mouth absent-mindedly chewing half of her sandwich, the other half hanging from her sealed lips, waiting it’s turn to be consumed.
A throat clearing broke her out of her trance, she idly glanced up, and nearly had a stroke right then and there when she registered exactly who stood in front of her desk; along with the sudden influx of mortification at the picture she no doubt made.
Thomas Fucking Shelby!
She may not have been in Birmingham long, but she sure as fuck knew who the Shelbys were--especially the one who happened to be looming over her desk currently. Face burning, she reached for her sandwich and bit through it, setting the rest down on the napkin she had wrapped it in, and desperately sought to reclaim some-sort of dignity. Swallowing, she tried mustering a smile, though it fell short and morphed into a grimace.
“How can I help you, Mr. Shelby?” She’s heard quite a bit about the Shelbys--especially about Thomas Shelby in particular. She had once heard that his icy stare alone, could melt a man’s face off--though the man who said as much was quite drunk at the time, so she didn't have much faith in his word. In fact, he didn’t appear that frightening, if anything he appeared amused--most likely due to having caught her off guard. He gestured a bit to his mouth, glancing to her own before she caught on and hastily wiped the mustard away with a quick swipe of her tongue, face once again heating in embarrassment.
Dear Lord, please strike me down.
“Is Jimmy ‘round?” At the mention of her boss, the frustration from this morning reared its ugly head, but she was quick to stamp it out--she didn’t want to come across as defensive or hostile towards Mr. Shelby, especially when she realized he wasn’t really alone--two Blinders were standing guard outside the door. Shaking her head, she informed him that he had left in the early morning, and that no, he hadn’t told her where he had gone, nor when he would be back.
Seeing Mr. Shelby subtle frustration at her employer’s absence, along with the news that she had no idea where he was, Bianca was anxious to placate the man.
“Was there anything you were expecting, or wanting to discuss with Mr. Thompson?” she asked pleasantly, a sudden thrill racing down her spine when he looked at her, a dark brow raising at her inquiry.
“I was expecting a payment two days ago, and ‘ave yet to receive it.” He reached into his pocket, and slid a cigarette from it’s cartridge before lighting it. Bianca froze in place, her mind began rapidly turning in thought; and dread practically twisting her intestines into intricate knots.
“I’d graciously given him an extra day to get the money, and still I haven’t received the three-hundred quid he owes.” a pause, accompanied by a ghost of a smirk. “Now with interest, of course.”
Bianca cursed, verbally. She couldn’t help it, finally realizing what this was, and why her boss had made sure she would be present during this time--no doubt having quickly learned, that she would rather work through lunch than work a second of over-time--and why he wasn’t.
That kreten! (1)
“Now, I know--” Mr. Shelby had started, seeing as she was growing emotional, but Bianca cut him off by standing abruptly, the two Blinders jerked to attention, but she paid them no mind. Oh, she was furious with her boss--why, if he was here this very moment, she’d strangle that little kozí kurva (2); God forgive her, but she would!
Making the short trek to her employer’s office, a litany of Slovak curses following her wake, she began to fumble with one of her hair pins. She jerked the door open with a bang--the bastard didn’t even lock it--and marched towards his desk, her heels furiously clicking against the hardwood floor.
Reaching for the tasteless painting that hung behind his office chair, she yanked it from the wall and carelessly tossed it aside--if the kretén had any problems with her treatment of his things, she’d tell him to shove ‘em up his arse. Bianca released an inelegant snort at the man’s predictable mind set. He’d had thought himself so clever; thinking that he was the only one in the world with a safe hidden behind a painting, that they’d neither find him, nor his money: forcing her to deal with the gangsters, the complete ass.
Well, he won’t be laughing for long when he finds his cash gone!
Analyzing the safe, she ended up letting out another haughty snort; he hadn’t even bothered to purchase a decent one, she’d have no problem cracking this one--hell, a babe could crack this pathetic excuse of a safe.
“What’re you doin’?” Glancing over her shoulder, she found Mr. Shelby standing in the doorway, smoking all care-free like, and watching her with a sort of detached amusement. She finally managed to pluck a pin from her hair, then gave the man a one-armed shrug.
“Quitting.” she said simply. She heard something suspiciously like a laugh, but when she happened to glance back at him, he was as grim as the Reaper. Crossing herself at both the thought, and for what she’s about to do, Bianca set to work.
She was severely disappointed, with barely any thought, she heard the tell-tale click and voila: the safe was opened and the money inside was ripe for the taking.
“Three-hundred quid, you said?” she asked absentmindedly, already counting out the notes.
“Plus interest.”
“Ah, right.” having counted out the correct amount, including the required interest, she placed the stack of pounds on the desk so he could do so himself. While he began his own counting, she turned back towards the safe and took the rest. Grasping the leftover pounds, she turned and began walking back towards her own desk, all-the-while stuffing half the notes down her bra, and folding the rest with her purse being their future home.
Feeling eyes one her, she found Mr. Shelby once again watching her. Giving him her best smile, she began gathering her things and idly asked him, “You won’t mind too much, if such an outcome happens, that I tell the authorities that the Blinders took all the money?”
“I doubt you’d have to talk to any copper.” he informed her, and after a second of contemplation, she nodded in acquiescence, tossing her forgotten lunch away. Her employer--ah, former employer--would be too much of a coward to confront the Blinders, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to contact any officers.
“Well, then I bid you a pleasant day, Mr. Shelby.” She went to gather her coat and hat, and punched out her time card, before tossing it in the bin near-by.
“You as well, Ms…?” She twisted to face him, and smiled once again.
“Kovac. Bianca Kovac.” He tilted his head in acknowledgement, and she took that as her que to leave. She nodded farewell towards the two Blinders stationed outside, before reaching for her compact and lipstick from the recesses of her questionably large purse. After re-applying the bold red to her lips, she smiled and winked at herself before snapping the compact closed.
Well, time to find a new job.
______________
Translations:
1.) Asshole
2.) Goat fucker
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Text
Tony Didn’t Ask For This (But He’s Not Complaining)
By: Pookiethefrickinbunn - For: @the-panwitch
Rating: Teen and Up 
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark
Characters: Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Natasha Romanov
Summary: 
Based on the nonsense that spewed out of the boy’s mouth all night and the visual context clues, Tony was pretty sure he knew the identity of his guest. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew only a prince would wear what the child had on. And only a prince would have access to a horse like the one that was accompanying him. In fact Tony was sure there would be more evidence in the saddle bags that were on the steed. But the man was afraid to leave the child to go check. --- OR The story of how a humble farmer named Tony came across the lost prince from the neighboring kingdom. Farmer!Tony and Price!Peter Medieval AU. Friendly Neighborhood Exchange 2020 - Farmer Tony and Prince Peter prompt. Plus a kidnapping in chapter two.
Chapter One: Meeting
Tony knew that he shouldn't have left for home so late, but he had picked up such a good deal in the market. He couldn’t just go home. Not when he had the opportunity to get so much product for such a reduced price. He knew he would be getting in late, but this was later than he thought. He had been riding for hours in the dark, and he was anxious to make it to his bed. His knees and back were starting to ache.
Eventually the lonely farmer came to his property and quietly unpacked some items at the cottage before going to the barn to put away his horse. Everything seemed to be normal as Tony opened the wooden barn door, but that illusion faded when Tony came face to face with a large black horse who stood a few feet inside the barn. His head snapped up in attention, and the hay that he held in his mouth stilled as he looked back at the man.
Tony’s eyes widened as he stared back at the horse in equal surprise.
“Well you’re not my horse,” Tony said, an eyebrow quirking as he quickly tied his own horse outside before re-entering the barn. The animal seemed to have just been placed in the barn to wander freely, as there was no bridal or reins on the horse to direct it or tie him up. Though, it did seem that it still had a saddle on it’s back. Perhaps for a quick escape?
“Hey there bud. How did you get in here?” Tony asked as he slowly approached the black animal. As Tony drew closer, the horse seemed to relax, dipping his nose down and taking a few steps towards the inventor. It’s nostrils flared with curious sniffs and soon the man was able to pet the horse’s muzzle before it allowed him to get closer.
It was a nice horse, a charger by the looks of it. It definitely didn’t belong to a neighboring farmer, that was for sure. This horse was used for war. Upon further inspection, Tony noticed a crest on the end of the saddle blanket designating that this horse belonged to the Royal Parker family in the neighboring kingdom. Perhaps a traveling soldier had comindeered his barn or cottage for the night. It definitely wasn’t uncommon for soldiers.
“Hello?” Tony suddenly called out, turning to face the rest of the barn. “Anyone in here?” He asked, but all that came back in response was silence. It was too dark to search the barn any further. So with that Tony gently guided the horse into an empty stall before putting his own horse away. And from there he went to the cottage to see if his guest was there.
To Tony’s surprise, there was no one. The home was just as cold and dark as when he had left early that morning. In fact, it looked as if no one had been there while he had been gone. Nothing was missing or out of place. So with that Tony grabbed a lantern and returned to investigate the barn.
This time when Tony returned, he could hear noise. It wasn’t terribly loud, but it sounded like someone was crying, and they weren’t trying to be quiet about it. Tony stilled on the other side of the door for a moment, not necessarily wanting to walk in on a soldier being vulnerable, but Tony did his best to ignore that thought. Afterall, this was his property. He would go where he pleased, crying adult or not. So Tony opened the door and walked in.
As soon as the door opened, the sobbing stopped, making Tony still. Tony looked around the barn but still couldn't see anything from where he was standing. “I know you’re in here, I could hear you a mile away,” Tony taunted, holding the lantern in front of him as he walked deeper into the barn.
All the man got in response was a few sniffles.
“Come on now. No need to be shy about crying, we all do it,” Tony said as he followed the noises. And when Tony turned the corner to where his guest should be, he found nothing. Or, what he thought was nothing. The farmer stood in confusion as he looked at the pile of hay in front of him. The longer he stood there though, the easier he could see that the pile of hay was moving. Tony started at it for a moment longer before another loud sniffle sounded from the pile. There was no way an adult could successfully hide under that hay, Tony realized. But a child could. The thought that he could be dealing with a child made Tony sick with anxiety, but he did his best to push the feeling down.
“Hey. I-It’s okay. Just come out please. I want to see who owns the pretty black horse,” Tony said, not really sure what else to say that would comfort a crying child. “I won’t hurt you, I promise.” The sniffling suddenly stopped and Tony stood rooted in place for what felt like forever. It seemed like the person hiding wasn’t going to respond, but suddenly a high pitched, shaking voice, sounded from under the hay.
“I’m sorry sir. I-I got lost and I didn’t. I didn’t know where to go. But it was getting dark and I found your barn but I promise I didn’t take anything.” -- Okay, he was definitely dealing with a child.
“It’s okay kid. I believe you,” Tony said as he sat down on a bench that wasn’t too far off. “But you want to tell me who’s horse that is? Were you traveling with a soldier? Because your four legged friend looks a little too nice to be a workhorse,” the man said as he set down the lantern. The pile of hay was silent for a little moment longer, but soon the voice spoke again.
“That’s my horse,” the voice said. Tony could tell that the kid was trying to put some sort of authority into his tone, but there was a wobble to it, as if he was trying not to cry.
“No offence kid, but you do not own that horse. Does your brother or father work for the King up north? Were you traveling?” Tony asked.
“I was traveling...with my father,” the voice responded. “And that’s my horse. His name is Shadow.”
“Okay, okay. Whatever you say,” the older man said as he scrubbed his face. He was too tired to deal with a child today. Much less one that had broken into his barn. “Well why don’t you get out of that hay there and you can come to my house. We’ll go look for your father in the morning. It will be a lot more comfortable,” Tony suggested.
“I-I can’t,” the voice whimpered, and Tony was sure the kid was going to burst into tears at any moment.
“Sure you can. I’m not about to leave you out here. Especially when your dad works for a royal guard.”
“No,” the voice suddenly sobbed. “I can’t move. I can’t get up,” the child said, making Tony’s eyebrows raise.
“Come on kid, sure you can. You got yourself in there didn’t you?” Tony asked, but all he got in response was silence. “Are you really going to make me pull you out of there?” Tony asked. Again, silence.
“You have to be kidding me,” Tony said as he stood from the bench and walked closer to the pile of hay. “Alright kid, I’m going to pull you out. Don’t bite me, okay?” The man asked, and suddenly he was leaning down to fish the child out of the forage.
The first thing he noticed when he made contact with the body was how hot the child was. He was absolutely burning up. Tony wondered if maybe he was that hot from being under the hay, but he touched the kids arm as well, and realized that it was the child’s body that was radiating the heat. Tony fished around in the hay till he found the boy’s armpits and after getting a good grip he pulled up.
Wow, this kid was sweaty.
As the hidden figure emerged from the forage, the first thing that caught Tony’s eye was the leather jacket the boy was wearing. It was nice, really nice. But the thing that caught his eye was the red and blue silk that lined the inside of the jacket. This was too nice, even for a guard’s son to wear. In fact, no one would be caught wearing something like this besides the Royal family.
Tony’s blood turned to ice as he stilled for a moment before pulling the boy completely out of the hay to get a better look at him.
“ Jesus Christ Almighty,” Tony stammered as he looked at the child that was now in his arms. The boy’s brown curls were pressed to his forehead in sweat and pieces of hay  stuck every which way in the boy’s sweat soaked hair. And the kids face. It was pale, and it didn’t look like a complexion thing either. He looked sick. Tony wasn’t sure if it was from being under so much hay for so long, but the boy’s eyes were red and swollen and snot dripped from his nose and ran down his cheek. He was a mess.
“Okay. Hey, you’re okay,” Tony said, not sure if he was reassuring the child or himself “You’re okay. Let’s just stand you up and we’ll get you some water. Maybe lay you down in a bed...away from hay,” Tony said as he maneuvered the kid a bit more, but the child didn’t comply. He just moved with Tony like he was a doll.
“I can’t stand,” The boy sobbed as Tony tried to help the boy up. And suddenly Tony found the boy leaning up against his chest, trying to use him as support as his arms dangled from his body, unused.
“Okay, okay,” Tony said, placing one of his hands on the boy’s back. In an instant the boy was flinching against his side and letting out another sob. Tony suddenly stilled and looked at where he had just touched, only to find himself holding his breath. There was a large wound on his shoulder. It started around the boy’s clavicle and went down his back. It looked like someone had brought down a sword on the child. As Tony examined it even more he noticed that mud had been packed around the top of the wound, and Tony wondered if the kid had done that to try and stop the bleeding. The bottom of it though was still open and angry. And in that moment Tony realized that what he had thought was sweat under the kid’s arm was probably blood.
“I’m going to pick you up,” Tony suddenly said as he readjusted his grip so that he could scoop up the boy’s legs. “It’s going to hurt, but just hold on.” Tony said, trying to reassure the boy. The only reply Tony got was a high pitched wail as he lifted the boy. With one quick movement, the simple farmer grabbed the lantern and made his way back towards his cottage, the little boy crying the entire way back.
After setting the lantern on the table, Tony made his way towards his bed at the back of the room. After setting the boy down on the bed, Tony collected a bowl of water and a rag before returning to the boy. He wasn’t in the best shape, and judging by his wound, it was probably infected. Tony knew the boy would probably not survive the next few days if he didn’t tend to it thoroughly.
“What happened to you?” Tony asked as he kneeled down by the child. He just wanted to distract the boy from the pain he was in. He just needed to get to that shoulder.
“I-I was traveling with my father and mother. We were visiting your king and then we got attacked,” The boy hiccuped, trying his best to speak through the tears.
“Your father and mother?” Tony asked as his eyes landed back on the leather jacket that the boy wore. With a shaking hand Tony opened the front of the jacket and examined the silk that lined it. It wasn’t dirty, but well kept. It looked almost new, but Tony could tell that it was well loved. And then something caught Tony’s eye. -- The small crest of the Royal Parker family, embroidered on the inside by one of the seams. The man opened his mouth to ask another question but then paused. The boy in front of him was a sobbing mess, and Tony couldn’t continue on with a good concious if he pried anymore than he already was. He would get more info when the child was on the mend.
“Let’s get this jacket off of you,” Tony said instead as he helped the boy sit up before peeling the clothing off of his torso. As the jacket came off, it pulled at the wound on the shoulder, and the boy let out a wail, his entire body shaking in response. “I know, I know. I’m sorry,” the man said as he carefully removed the rest of the jacket.
The farmer was used to not getting enough sleep, but the night had taken a lot out of him. Surprisingly, the child was still alive. It had been a long night of sobbing and babbling as the boy faded in and out of consciousness. Tony had done his best to clean the wound, and even put a bit of ointment on it. But besides changing the boy into one of his own shirts, there was nothing else he could do. So he tried to make him comfortable. The night consisted of dabbing his forehead with a wet cloth and giving him sips of water every now and then. But other than that Tony just stayed at his side to make sure that he hadn’t stopped breathing.
Based on the nonsense that spewed out of the boy’s mouth all night and the visual context clues, Tony was pretty sure he knew the identity of his guest. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew only a prince would wear what the child had on. And only a prince would have access to a horse like the one that was accompanying him. In fact Tony was sure there would be more evidence in the saddle bags that were on the steed, but the man was afraid to leave the child to go check.
As the night continued on, Tony tried to come up with a game plan. The only problem was there were too many variables to what had happened to the child for him to just make one plan. Were there people after him?  Would they come to the farm? And who would they be loyal to? Should he return the prince to his kingdom? Or would that put him in even more danger? Tony didn’t know, and he knew he wouldn’t necessarily know what to do until the boy told him what had happened to him.
The sound of floor boards squeaking woke Tony from his sleep, and he found himself scrambling around on the floor as he tried to figure out what was going on. The lantern had gone out at some point in the night, but light was filtering in from the single window that the cottage had, letting Tony know it was morning. In the dim light, Tony could see a smile figure silhouetted in front of him.
Right. The kid.
“What are you doing standing up?” Tony asked as he scrubbed at his face, trying to wipe the sleep out of his eyes. “You should be in bed, sleeping.”
“I have to use the bathroom,” A small voice responded in the darkness.
“Oh,” was all the man could manage to say in reply. Of course the kid would need to do that at some point. “There is a spot outside. I’ll show you,” Tony said as he stood, his bones popping on the way up.
“Thank you,” the child said in response as he followed Tony out of the cottage.
Tony averted his eyes from the child as they made their way outside, and while the kid did his thing. But once he was finished, Tony decided it would be a good idea to get a better look at him, not that it was light.
He still looked sick, his complexion lighter than Tony would like, and dark circles forming under his eyes. But he definitely looked like he had more life in him than the previous night. Tony’s large shirt draped over the boy’s small frame like a large tunic, but he could still tell that the boy was small. His skin seemed smooth and free from any blemishes, and Tony could tell he had never worked a day in his life.
“You hungry?” Tony asked, never taking his eyes off the kid as they made their way back to the home.
The boy only shook his head.
“Okay. Well let me know if you want to eat anything. I’m going to make breakfast,” The older man said as he walked the boy back to bed.
The entire time Tony prepared his breakfast, the boy stayed silent, and the man half expected the kid to be passed out. But when he looked over at him after taking a bite of his food, he could see the boy staring at him.
“You got a name kid?” Tony asked, picking at he bread before taking another bite.
“I’m not supposed to tell you that,” the boy muttered, his eyes unblinking.
“Right,” the man nodded. “Is that because you’re a prince or something?” He asked,his eyes flickering up to the boy. Tony watched as the kid visibly flinched in the bed, pulling the blanket closer around his injured shoulder.
“H-how do you know that?” Peter asked, a wobble forming in his voice.
Oh no. The kid was going to cry.
“Hey, It’s okay!” Tony said, dropping his bread and holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m not going to hurt you. Okay? You’re safe here,” the man said carefully as he watched the boy. “I just guessed. Because of your clothes and your horse. That’s all. I promise you’re safe. I promise.”
All the boy did in response was stare at him.
“What happened out there?” Tony quietly asked. “You said you were traveling with your father and mother?” Tony asked.
“Yeah,” the small boy said quietly, his eyes now cast down. “But I don’t remember what happened,” he admitted as tears began to fall from his eyes once again. “We were going home and then there were some bad people that- that-” The boy started, but he couldn’t seem to finish his sentence.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it yet if you’re not ready,” Tony said, still frozen in his surrendered position. “I just want you to know that you’re safe. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of and when you’re feeling better we’ll get you home.” Tony said, trying to comfort the clearly traumatized child.
“I’m just a humble farmer. But you can call me Tony,” the older man said, lowering his arms. The boy just blinked back at him briefly before sniffling out a reply.
“My name is Peter. Peter Parker,” He said, his voice weak.
And even though this kid wasn’t even his kingdom’s royalty, but just a total stranger, Tony felt something in him well up with emotion. He was forming some sort of attachment to the kid. To Peter. Maybe it was his big brown eyes, or how innocent and naïve he was. Or the fact that he was injured and all alone. Tony didn’t know what it was, but he suddenly came to the realization that he would do anything for Peter.
“It’s nice to meet you, your highness.”
Chapter Two: Missing
Tony felt like this heart was going to explode out of his chest as a makeshift campsite came in sight. It wasn’t terribly far away, maybe a quarter of a mile by the man’s estimate. Far enough that he could tell there were people gathered by the fire, but not close enough to identify anyone. The man was in reach of the camp, but he knew that if he got any closer an animal or someone else might notice that he was there. So Tony waited, trying to see if there was any sign that his kid was in the camp.
His kid.
What a strange thing he had come to call the boy that had fallen into his lap nearly eight years ago. What a strange thing to call the missing crown prince, the heir to the throne in the neighboring kingdom. Over the years Tony had definitely come to think of him as his son, but that was an inappropriate title to give the child. It wasn’t his place and he would never blur the line between his status and the boy’s. Even if he was in hiding. Even if they did pretend to be master and apprentice the few times he took the kid out in public, Tony would never let the kid forget who he was. Because one day the kid would have to return to his kingdom and claim his rightful place on the throne.
But Tony knew that the kid, Peter, had other ideas. -- He knew the child never wanted to go back to his kingdom. In fact, he was constantly pleading with the older man to just “leave him be.” Peter liked the life of a simple farmer. He loved the animals and outdoors, and he especially enjoyed the hard labor of harvesting the crops. He loved being able to feel free to do whatever he wanted without anyone waiting on him. Without having problems looming over his head.
But Tony could see that Peter had the nature of a true leader. He was incredibly sharp. Smart as a whip. He was quick on his feet when it came to decision making, but made said decisions based on facts and evidence, rather than letting his heart get in the way. He was slow to anger and caring towards others. In fact Tony sometimes wondered if the child was maybe a bit too caring. The farmer had definitely seen the boy do some pretty selfless things for people and it made him wonder if he had a selfish bone in his body. -- And then there was his bloodline. A descendant of many wise Kings. Men who were compassionate to their subjects, who would die for just one of the common people. Men who lead the kingdom into great eras. All of that blood was flowing through the boy. That blood did not deserve to live in solitude for the remainder of the boy’s days. It was meant to rule.
So while Peter was in his care Tony made sure that the boy continued his studies. Mathematics and language, as well as the history of his home. On top of that he had the boy learn basic self defense. He was on the run, and many people would do anything if they found out the location of where the boy was, much less that he was still alive. - But even after all the countless hours of combat training that went into the child, Peter had still been taken.
They came while Tony had been plowing the field a half mile from the cottage. Peter had worked himself all morning and once the sun was high in the sky Tony begged the boy to go inside and rest. The kid just shook his head, gave the man a fond smile, and then turned to return to the home. That was the last time Tony saw Peter.
When the boy didn’t come back after a few hours, Tony didn’t think anything of it. The kid had simply worked harder that he had thought and he was sleeping off the exhaustion. At least that was what Tony told himself. -- And then it started getting dark. Surely the kid was awake by now, and perhaps he had stayed in the cottage to make a meal for the two when Tony returned. It definitely wouldn’t have been the first time. So with food on his mind, the older man put up his livestock and plow and started making his way towards his home.
The first thing that tipped Tony off to something being wrong was the fact that the front door was open. Not only that, but that it had been knocked off of it’s hinges. The older man felt the anxiety build in his chest as he quickly ran through the doorway, only to see that the entire front room had been trashed. A table and all it’s contents had been overturned while a kettle laid on the ground, water pooled on the floor. Papers were strewn about and the small bed at the corner of the room had been overturned. There had definitely been a struggle.
Tony’s panic escalated as he ran through the small cottage, calling the boy’s name. But he wasn’t there. In a blind hope that maybe he was outside, Tony vacated the home and went in search of the child on the surrounding property. But he was gone.
Someone had taken the prince.
They had Peter.
They had his kid.
Not knowing what else to do, Tony looked for any sort of clue as to where the kidnappers could have gone. Or even who they were. There were many people who had an interest in Peter. But in the end Tony couldn't find anything. He had no idea when the men had taken the boy, or even how many there were. It might help if he knew who they worked for, so that he could travel in the right direction, but he didn’t even know that. So with all of his options exhausted, Tony looked for someone who could help him.
He had a friend who owed him a favor. A mercenary they called The Black Widow. She had no allegiance to kingdoms or family names, and she was a hell of a tracker. Tony was confident she could help. And after a few hours of searching, Tony found her in a pub.
“They took my kid,” Tony said, his voice breaking slightly as he came into the woman's line of sight.
“Well it’s good to see you too Anthony,” the redhead said, quirking an eyebrow as she set down her drink.
“Natasha. They took my kid,” Tony said again, his tone laced with a bit of annoyance as he advanced on her. Now only the table divided them.
“Who took your kid? Do you know why they took him?” the woman calmly asked.
“I-” Tony began before stopping to see who was in the pub. Anyone could use this information against them.  But to Tony’s favor, the pub was nearly empty, with only two other patrons who were drunkenly leaning over the bar, engaged in loud chatter.  “I don’t know who took him. But listen to me, this kid is important, you have to help me get him back.”
“I like Peter, you know I do," Natasha tisked. "But I can’t drop everything to spend the next few days looking for the kid. I can ask a few of my connections if they have seen anything but I can’t-”
“Natasha,” the farmer said, his voice straining as he tried to stay composed. “He’s the missing prince from the Northern Kingdom. I came across him after his parents were killed and he’s been with me since. It’s imperative we get him back. Whoever took him knows who he is. They have to. Not only is he in danger, but the future of us and the surrounding countries could be as well.”
The red head just blinked back at the man for a moment, as if trying to get her brain to reset with the new information she was just given. And then after a moment, she pressed her lips together before sighing through her nose.
“I’ll talk to some sources. See what I can find. If I have a lead, I’ll get back in contact with you tomorrow morning. Early. Your place. In the mean time, see if you can find anything as well. We’re going to have to be quick. Time is not on our side,” Natasha said before standing up. “We’ll find him. Okay?,” Natasha said, giving the man a small smile before leaving Tony alone in the pub.
In the end Tony couldn’t find anything. He asked around. He tried searching the general surrounding area on his horse. He even tried to see if the men had left any tracks that would tell him where they had gone. But in the end he couldn’t find anything. He was tired and exhausted, but he couldn't sleep because his kid was missing.
Natasha came back to the farm as promised, and Tony was immediately at her side when she came galloping onto the farm with her horse.
“Anything?” he asked as the woman dismounted.
“There is talk of a group of men that were toting a teenager around last night, heading west. Sounds like it’s a group of men that work for Osborn’s guard. My guess is that they are bringing him to the king. I have two possible locations of where they could be, but we have to act fast.” With that Natasha pulled out a map from her saddle bag. “How do you feel about splitting up?”
It had been hours since Tony had come across the camp, but unfortunately he had to wait till it was completely dark. It would be easier to get the jump on them, and Tony had a better chance of using the element of surprise if most of them were asleep.  So he waited, and waited. Finally the activity in the camp calmed down, and about an hour later, Tony made his move. He knew there were six men. Four of them seemed to be in makeshift tents while one patrolled the area. Tony had seen a sixth, but he did not have a location on them. So taking his dagger, Tony descended on the camp, looking for any clue that Peter might be with them.
The man rummaged around by the tent for a moment before making his way to the luggage. He did his best to stay in the shadows, trying to see if they had left the child with the horses, but he must have given himself away because there was suddenly a sharp pressure at his back.
“Don’t move,” A voice called out. It was light and high, and Tony knew that the voice belonged to a boy. Probably no older than Peter. “Who are you, what do you want?” They asked. It was clear they were putting on a front of bravery, but it did not fool Tony.
“My horse was stolen last week. I’m just checking people passing through. Just looking,” Tony lied, his hand gripping the dagger held in his hand.
“Well I can tell you that your horse isn’t here. So leave, or I’ll cut your head off,” the boy stammered.
“Right,” Tony huffed.
In a flash Tony was turning and ducking away from the sword pressed to his back before turning on his heel and hurdling himself towards the guard. In a blink of an eye, the kid was pinned to the ground, and Tony hand one hand over his mouth while his other hand pressed the dagger to his throat.
“Don’t make a sound,” Tony hissed into the boy’s ear. “Or I’ll slit your throat and I won’t even bat an eye over it.  -- You have a kid. You took my kid,” Tony growled. “Where is he? Where did you take him?” the farmer demanded.
The boy on the ground just started back at Tony for a long moment, and the two seemed to have a conversation with their eyes. After a moment Tony lifted his hand off of the boy’s mouth, while pushing down on the dagger ever so slightly.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the boy tried, but Tony just pressed harder on the weapon.
“Try again,” he hissed.
“Okay, okay.’ The boy choked out, clamping his eyes closed. “We have him, he’s in the woods,” The boy stammered.
“The woods?”
“Yeah, we tied him up to a tree and someone is standing guard while the rest of us rest for the night,” The boy explained. “That way no one sees him in the clearing.”
So that’s where the sixth man was.
“How far?” Tony demanded, the dagger now drawing blood.
“I-I don’t know, half a mile maybe,” The boy whispered desperately. Tony could only grit his teeth, realizing that their conversation was coming to an end.
“Perfect. Thanks,” the farmer said before knocking the kid out cold.
From there Tony made his way cautiously into the forest, trying to keep an eye out for the sixth person. Tony tried to time how long he had been in the forest to gauge how far he had gone, and at the appropriate time, he paused, trying to see if he could find any sign of his kid.
It was quiet and muffled, but it was definitely a human made noise. After reorienting himself, Tony headed towards the noise, and stilled when he found the source.
Peter was in front of him, tied to a tree like the guard had said. The boy was kneeling on the ground in an uncomfortable position while his arms were tied high above his head, connected to a branch above him. His feet were then bound together behind him and were anchored to the base of the tree while a blindfold was tied tightly over the boy’s eyes. And to top it off a gag was pulled between the kid’s teeth so that he was biting down on the material. The sounds Tony had followed were coming from his kid, and they seemed to be grunts of pain.
Tony knew there was a guard somewhere around him, but he couldn’t stop himself from going to the boy. Carefully stepping in the boy’s space, Tony laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder. In an instant the kid was thrashing in his spot. His entire body swung wildly from the branch as panicked breaths escaped the his mouth.
“Pete. It’s me. It’s Tony, calm down,” The man said quietly but with confidence. Instantly the boys stilled and a heavy sigh was escaping his open mouth. “That’s right, it’s just me. You’re okay,” Tony said as he began to work on the kid’s blindfold.
As soon as the cloth fell Tony came face to face with Peter’s big brown eyes, and the man’s heart broke. Peter looked absolutely terrified. “You’re okay. I got you,” the farmer insisted as he cupped Peter’s face with his calloused hand before going to work at the gag. Soon Peter was free from the gag and was working his jaw up and down, trying to rid his joints from pain.
“Tony,” Peter stammered as tears collected in his eyes. “How did you find me?” Peter asked, his breathing labored. “I-I-I thought I would never see you again,” The kid explained, his chest beginning to rise and fall faster and faster. Peter had never really had a panic attack, as far as Tony had known, but the boy was getting into dangerous territory.
“Shh,” Tony whispered as he pulled the tethered boy close to his chest, rubbing his back in between his shoulder blades where his arms were pulled back. “I got you. You’re with me. I’m going to get you out of here and we’re going to get you somewhere safe. Okay? I’m not going to let them take you,” Tony said, trying to comfort the clearly distressed boy.
“Okay. O-Okay,” was all Peter could say as he leaned all of his weight into Tony, trying to calm himself down.
“You’re doing great,” Tony muttered after a minute of trying to untie Peter’s wrists. They soon skipped off and in one fluid motion, Tony was working on Peter’s feet. As he worked on the rope, the man could see that Peter’s feet were bare and bleeding. They had taken him while he was probably sleeping. They had  made him walk as they traveled. At least for a period of time.  The thought of Peter being scared and hurt made Tony's blood boil, but he did his best to push down the feeling. Getting Peter out of there was his first priority.
“You think you can stand?” Tony whispered as the rope fell away at the boy’s ankles.
“No,” Peter said, holding back a sob. “My legs are asleep and...my feet hurt,” Peter stammered. “I just… give me some time and I’ll get them working again. I’m sorry.” Peter said, leaning his head into Tony’s chest.
“No need to be sorry Pete. It’s not your fault,” Tony said, giving the boy a proper hug. “I’m just glad I found you.”
“How did you find me?” Peter asked, his voice cracking.
“I got some help from The Black Widow,” Tony hummed, feeling Peter let out a sigh. “You better thank her next time we see her,” the man then added on.
“Sounds like a plan” Peter muttered, as he felt himself being shifted. “What are you doing?”
“Be quiet, I’m going to get you out of here,” Tony said, pulling the boy’s arm over his shoulder.
“Thank you,” Peter hummed as he did his best to stand.
“I’ll always come for you kid,” Tony muttered as he pressed his face to the boy’s curls, breathing in his scent before he fully stood up. “Now just lean on me and don’t make a sound. There's a guard somewhere around here." Tony said as he began to lead his kid out of the woods.
Peter knew he couldn't make a sound, or else they would be found, but in that moment he just wanted to cry in relief. Tony had come for him. And even though they still had to get out of the woods and away from the men, Peter knew he was going to be okay.
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glumpiglet · 4 years
Note
Beetlejuice meeting his S/O and shes a ghost?
Hi..Thank you for the request.. I had a lot of fun with this one.. It really got away from me lol I hope you like it <3 to those who requested I havent forgotten about you, it’s just easier for me to write on the weekend when I’m not working. K love you guys
Warning: bit of swearing.. basic beej innuendos... thats it.
If you had known that when you woke up that Wednesday, it would have been your last day alive, you probably would have done so not hungover. Stumbling out of bed, sheets still clutching at your legs, you swore at the morning sun shining once again for the high, wide windows in all the bedrooms. It was on the list to replace the sheer curtains, but fabric that long was hard to find and not cheap to buy.
When Great Aunt Gerdy left you her house, the only wish she had was to ‘preserve, protect, and breath life back into Windflew Manor.’
Sweet, naive Gertrude. Spun of sugar more than flesh, your great aunt had been the youngest of twelve and definitely your favourite family member. Growing up, you fondly remembered spending summers here, riding your bike through the halls on rainy days, playing ‘Pirates and Rogues’ in the backyard with Gerdy and her children.
When you got older you begged to still come to the Manor; Gertrude watched you grow and in her own mind, Auntie Gerdy had assumed you would follow the steps of the women in your family, hunker down with a fine man, pop out some kids every few years.
As you said, Gertrude was tragically naive. Never had the heart to ever tell her the truth. That marriage….Children? Had never even entered the equations of goals. You wanted a spontaneous, fun life full of breakable things. Adventure. 
But also it was known that if you didn’t take this house, it would have gone to an auction. It broke your heart the way her children acted, their mother was one of the greatest women you had ever met, a role model. It was what she wanted. You couldn’t do that to Aunt Gerdy. So with hesitant determination, you had set about restoring Windflew Manor.
Due to funds, you were forced to do most of the work, getting help for a few handier friends. But it had been coming along nicely, room by room the cobwebs and mold were disappearing. It was satisfying work.  
Resting your head against the shower wall, however, you didn’t think you could find the strength to tackle the gardens today. It was all your friend's fault, ‘one more drink (Y/N), we’ve worked so hard!’ 
Exiting the shower, wiping the fog from the mirror, you reflected on how tired the image looked as you moisturized, changing into comfy shorts and a tank top without bothering to properly dry yourself. It was a warm day and you liked the cool moisture mixed with the lotion slicking your skin.
Just as you began brushing your teeth, the doorbell rang multiple times. Who the hell was that this early in the morning? The sound came again, more insistent and you had to roll your eyes.
“I’m coming, I’m coming. Hold your horses..” Sprinting down the hallway, trying to steady on the banister, you felt the gravity shift as your feet slid across the hardwood.
You supposed everyone would lament your damned clumsiness, your carelessness. Imprinted on the skin, you held the reminders of how prone to accidents you had been. It had been a joke in the family for years. ‘(Y/N) is gonna kill herself one day!’ 
It was only a matter of time. 
Swing your hand wildly, nothing could be gripped as you felt yourself swinging forward, hurdling towards the twenty-six flight of stairs that as a child, never it was considered it would have spelled your end….  
**
Turns out, it had been nothing more than a neighbor, wanting to let you know the street sweepers would be out tomorrow. 
Life was funny that way. 
Watching in dull horror as the EMT’s took your body away, trying to process the following information.. It came to you so obviously even though it sounded crazy: You weren’t having some out of body experience… You hadn’t taken any hallucinogenic drugs lately.. You were dead. 
Thinking about what the afterlife would have been: Heaven, Hell, Purgatory…. Haunting Auntie’s empty house had not been on the top of the list. 
Time was meaningless now, you could look at the grandfather clock and see two p.m and look five minutes later and see eleven a.m. it was always cold. You cursed not wearing something warmer than your p.j’s that last morning, not that you thought it would have helped. 
Going outside had been a big no-no. Whatever fucked up colossal worm creature had been out there when you tried the one time to leave, was obviously meant to be keeping you here. So here you stayed.
It could have been only a day you spent dead and lonely in the house. Or a week. A month. Years. You were being a little dramatic, you knew it hadn’t been years. Friends and family came by, grieving openly, making your heartbreak; and removing all your items, which was even worse. Obviously to be sold off or stored in your old room. A time capsule.
On one of the many days that found you aimlessly wandering the halls, a book fell before you without pretense. Equal parts startled and puzzled, well as much as a ghost could be, you picked it up.  
‘Handbook for the Recently Deceased..’
Gripping the pages, intent to open, you were halted as your front door swung open. A dozen or so handsome, young men carrying multiple packed things burst into Aunt Gerdy’s foyer, laughing and chatting loudly.  
“Aw, dude this place is awesome!”
“Look at all the space!”
“Get that pong table over there!”
“What the fuck!?”
Stomping forward, you were about to raise your voice louder before you stopped yourself….Right, stupid... They couldn’t see you… The whole ‘being dead thing’.
Watching in impotent rage as they slammed their things on the hardwood floor, scuffing their sneakers on the expensive carpets you had saved every penny for…
This was not good. Not good at all.
**
You had been right.
It wasn’t hard to not like these kids. You weren’t really into the whole ‘boys would be boys’ excuse for male idiocy in their youths. 
You didn’t like the way they treated each other, the archaic ‘hazing’ they would often do leaving you feeling ill. You didn’t like the way they treated the girls they used and laughed as they were forced down the traditional ‘walk of shame’ making you furious.
You especially did not like the way they treated the Manor. It was terrible, gaudy streamers and tacky posters were pinned to the walls. Daily parties...Keggers…. Were held here, the place was a war zone. Litter and garbage cluttered every hall and you were beginning to tear your hair out in helplessness. 
They had turned your Aunt’s treasured home and your hardworking project into a frat house. It was just rude.
What were you gonna do? Time passed and you watched as the house grew further and further into decay when a lightbulb burst unexpectedly. 
Realizing your answer, you hoped the discarded handbook was still where you had dropped it. Returning to the living room, you sighed in relief at seeing the odd-looking text where you left it. Walking up to it, however, you noticed something there that wasn’t there before. 
A card, dusty, and sticking out of a random page. Bending down you began pulling at it, fingering the worn edges. You lifted it up into the light, trying to read it under all the dirt caked on. On the card, it just said one word three times, strangely compelled you said it out loud.
“Betelgeuse… Betelgeuse…. Betelgeuse?”
The burst of smoke made you hack instantly, it was like someone smoked weed in an embalming room, pungent and eye-watering. 
It was a man. Well, no. Not a human man in any case. Duh. You would say this was the weirdest thing to ever happen to you, but nothing was normal after you died apparently.
Observing as he waved his hands, stepping out of the cloud, you couldn’t help the widening of your eyes...He was.. Definitely interesting looking.. 
“Geez, did I come late to the party or what-… Woah.”  
He looked awful and smelt even worse, and why the hell was he here?
The… Character that stepped had gone silent. Awkward and stilted, you struggled to speak. It couldn’t help being noticed his... Hair was changing colour… Most certainly going from an almost neon green to baby pink…. What was he? 
“Don’t be afraid. You’re dead. I am also dead.” There was a moment before an incredulous giggle escaped your lips, you couldn’t help but realize it had been the first time you laughed since.. Well..
“Yeah, I figured that. From... You know… Seeing my dead body get taken away.” The two of you stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, the silence deafening. 
Before he pounced. Flouncing over in a comical manner, he began to circle you, the humour disappearing from you at the look in his eye. 
“Huh, that line usually doesn’t work.. You’re surprisingly calm..” Turning your head until you couldn’t anymore, you swiveled striving for eye contact. He completed his journey around and stood in front of you, seeming to be searching for something. Before he held his grimey hand out…. The intense desire to hesitate held you still. 
It didn’t seem to deter him in the slightest.
“Hello! A pleasure to meetcha-” Leaning forward, you realized in just enough time what he was doing before he could press his lips to yours, jumping back. 
“Uh, excuse me!?” 
“Can’t blame a demon for trying, babes. Anyways uh… What can I do for you?” He fidgeted with his jacket, pulling at the cuffs and flapping the lapels, wafting his stench towards you making you gag. Covering your nose you murmured beyond belief.
“What do you mean?”
“Well usually I only get called when someone needs something from me….. Bio-exorcism. Homicide. Sexual pleasure. I do it all.” This guy couldn’t actually be serious… You shook your head, none of this was helping. You had gone to the book for an answer and had only gotten even more questions. 
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about dude, I just found this card in this book. Anyways, what is happening right now? Who are you and why can you see me?”
Snickering, he continued to very eagerly invade your personal space and it was getting harder to find the space in the living room. The predator was cornering.
“You said my name, sexy. You called me.” 
What kind of name was Betelgeuse? Deciding immediately to shorten it for ease, you opened your mouth but apparently, he was on a roll, and continued. 
“And I already told you.. We’re dead. Deceased. Post Mortem.” Bumping into the wall, just hearing the words from someone else’s lips made you stop… Well, dead. Pun intended. Before they could be halted tears were gathering in your eyes… You weren’t even that emotional about it anymore, had already spent endless nights sobbing about what-ifs and regrets...Not for a while, still, it never got any easier to think about. 
Trying and failing miserably to hide the sniffles, you peered at BJ’s surprised expression. 
“Shit...shit..shit. I didn’t mean to do that…. Don’t cry,” Wiping at stubborn tears that fell against your wishes, you could see BJ shuffle his feet, looking extremely uncomfortable at your sudden breakdown. You tried to calm him, ironically.
“No, I’m fine. It’s just… Not been that great so far... Sometimes I think I might be in hell.” Staring at the ground, you had the overwhelming wish once again for it to finally swallow you whole and take you where you belonged.
“Is it… Your current occupants?”
“It certainly doesn’t help.” Looking up at BJ’s tilted head and rapt expression, the need to confide was making you continue.
“My Aunt left me this house and… I’ve hated seeing what they're doing to it.” BJ looked to be contemplating something before he spoke.
“I could help you.”
You looked at him “What do you mean?”
“I told you.. Again... Sweetheart, you’re smokin’ hot but your memory’s shit. I’m a Bio-exorcist. Getting breathers out is my forte. Well, most breathers can’t see me… But I can teach you! Breathers are waay more likely to see a ghost than a demon.” Riveted by what he was saying, you didn’t realize his pursuit until you felt his grip sound your waist, pulling you closer.
“Mmm… Get you in a little school uniform.. Give you extra credit...” Blatantly ignoring him, focusing on the important part of what he said. 
“What you’re saying is we can get these kids out of here?”
“Of course babes. I take my job very seriously.” Shooting him an incredulous look, you managed to extract from him without much ease, he was really touchy for someone you just met.
“Yeah, I noticed…”
This was insanity. You weren’t actually considering letting this.. Demon?! To teach you how to scare the young men living in your house. It was dangerous and crazy.
Even more, there was no other option. Desperate times.
“Then you’re hired,”
“Oh, this is gonna be so good!” Once again having to duck away from his advance, you pressed a hand to the dirty front of his suit, holding him at bay.
“Stop that,”
“Hmm... Playing hard to get, I respect that.”
Maybe this wasn’t a great idea.
**
In hindsight, it worked out perfectly. Beej, as he had assured, was very good at his job. Just because that job entailed scaring the shit out of anyone and anything around him shouldn’t be held against him. 
Once again, incredulously if you had known in your life that your love of horror movies would have come in handy in your afterlife, you would have paid much more attention.  
Beej was impressed with your novice skill. The voice throwing came naturally to you, and your favourite trick was hiding in the corner of one of their bedrooms, positioning your arms and legs at odd angles and whispering to the sleeping boys, stifling giggles as they awoke, petrified and flew downstairs, waking everyone else in the house.
None of them could actually see you, but you had sworn the one redheaded one had locked eyes in the bathroom mirror, the two of you paused before the urge to scare rapidly left and the need to leave arose. Walking out the bathroom his eyes had definitely followed. 
He never told his friends about it, but BJ had said he watched him lay awake more than one night, clutching his sheets a little too tight. 
Possession was something you felt was unnecessary. Beej had often offered to uh.. Show you how it worked but the thought of BJ well.. Inside of you… It made your skin crawl and you didn’t know if it was from repulsion or excitement.
BJ was.. Unexpected in the best way. Devilishly Intelligent. Hilarious and.. You saw glimpses of his sweetness. He bashfully gave you dead flowers from the garden and was constantly sending you praises that would make you blush if you still had blood. How beautiful you were, how great of a scarer you were…. After getting over the whole stink thing, he was really cute and you might have been... Falling for him. Just the thought made you terrified. 
It all came to an end gradually. It was unexpected, you thought it would have been some big final fright, using all of your cunning ghostly powers. But no, one by one they just disappeared. Claiming to be moving back with family, dropping out, or simply leaving for ‘reasons’.
On the day you stood in the kitchen, now empty save for a few left behind appliances, the beaming smile sent to BJ couldn’t be contained.
“We did it.”
“You did it, babes. I was uh- Just along for the ride, I guess.”
Shifting closer to him, you saw with amusement Beej staring at your lips. The BJ of before would have taken your closeness as an immediate seduction, trying his luck. Now the fact he was trying to control himself, made your heart swell. 
The moment was broken by the sound of the front door opening, you held your breath to see who, or what entered.
A beautiful couple entered, followed by an obvious real estate agent, discussing the house. The couple seemed too good to be true, polite, and awed at the house. Seeing the little bundle of a baby tucked in the mother’s arm as they continued their inspection. You supposed in a way Aunt Gertrude had gotten her wish. And that could be enough.
You turned to Beej watching the scene with an odd countenance.   
“Thank you BJ, really. I’ve had a lot of fun.” You finally noticed. There was purple in his hair, something was making him sad.
“Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?” 
Oh. oh.
Struggling to answer him, you watched as he further sank in himself. “I read the book, BJ..The Netherworld… Shouldn’t I be…”
“Not yet! Once you get there… We won’t be able to see each other this much... Haven’t we been having fun?” 
“Of course but-”
“Don’t leave!” His voice was frantic, higher-pitched than you ever heard, you couldn’t find the words to calm him.
“Please! I’ll… I’ve been looking into something…” The moment took the oddest turn when Beej practically flew to his knees, reaching out to you to clasp your hands between his before clearly speaking two words you never imagined him saying.
“Marry me.”
The words shocked you. Scandalized, you said the one thing you could.
“Beetlejuice!” That wasn’t it, the look on his face broke you. It was pitiful, desperate.
“No nonono say something else babes, let me explain!” You reached out, stroking his stubble as his giant, golden eyes glittered at you with so many emotions swirling.
“I’m not gonna send you away Beej, stop please.” Taking deep breaths between you, the urge to sink to the floor with him ran over you. Somewhere in your mind you realized how stupid this was, two ghosts having a panic attack in the kitchen, but weirder things have happened.
“If I… Marry a breather. I get brought to life. So I’ve been thinking..” Beej was asking to marry you.. Could ghosts and demons even get married? Would you have a wedding? Invite other ghosts to the ceremony?
“I don’t know BJ… We don’t even know if it will work,” You hadn’t said ‘no’ yet. At the moment, you couldn’t find the desire to do so. You liked Beej, it was the little things in death you realized that mattered. 
“What have we got to lose?.. I thought..”
Looking at him, on the floor with you. Overwhelmed with affection, you leaned forward, noting with glee Beej’s astonishment. Kissing the ghost with the most was... Everything and nothing what you expected. His tasted like cigarettes and dirt, still you leaned into him more.
The one thing that could make death totally rad. Being with him. He was absolutely right. Pulling away, looking at his blissed out face, eyes staying closed, you gave him your answer. 
“Yes. Okay. I’ll marry you.”
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sigmadecay · 3 years
Note
You said you can info dump about Jonestown massacre? I'm here to learn about Jonestown massacre.
OHOHOHO YES
okay so if I start from Jim Jones’ early life this is literally gonna take me hours to write and probably take you forever to read so I will try to cliffnote the context of....y’know, his life
He didn’t have super present or even very parental parents, his mother worked a lot & his father was a disabled WWI vet. A neighbor took him to church w her family on Sundays and that began his interest in religion. He went to different churches all the time to see what they were about but had a particular interest in the Pentecostal church, it was loud & interactive & joyful but they did get a bad rep for “speaking in tongues”
Jim married his wife Marceline when he was 17 or 18 and she was like 20-21. She was working as a nurse in a hospital that Jim did custodial work in while he was trying to get himself through school. I have a lot of thoughts about Marceline Jones and most of them are “she deserved better” but we will come back to Marceline later.
Fast forward fast forward and Jim & Marcy have a number of kids, their “rainbow family” which consists of one bio child and a number of adopted children I think?? Listen in my defense he ended up with nine (!!! NINE) kids and they’re hard to keep track of but I know Stephan was their biological son and they adopted Jim Jr. who was black and Lew & Suzanne who were Korean which was a bigass deal at the time. More kids cropped up over the course of things but y’know. When Jim founded the Peoples Temple he got the MLK Jr award for racial equality because his church was the first fully integrated church at least in Indiana which was fucking nuts at the time??? Lots of people liked him. It appeared that he was doing good things.
And then shit like faith healings started where he would stage religious healings from cancer and shit and his congregation began regarding him as a deity. Someone would be blessed and would spit out a “tumor” (a piece of chicken liver) or the woman in the wheelchair who got up and walked turned out to be Jim’s secretary. Completely bogus nonsense, but it was a good, integrated church and they all thought he was a good person.
So, (and I’m leaving out details here sorry) Jim starts teasing like an escape to a “promised land” type deal. And he goes to a bunch of places looking for one—he spends time in Brazil especially—until finally settling on Guyana. The Guyanese govt was excited to have Americans coming bc they were at war with Venezuela and it was...sort of like insurance, but yeah. They gave the Peoples Temple a couple hundred acres in the middle of basically the fucking rainforest. And it was touted as like this socialist utopia and shit. It’s work but there’s housing and you grow your own food, and it seemed nice! Especially for people who were so disillusioned with the government and racial inequality. So they move out to Guyana and start to build houses, and shit is pretty alright at first, but...The soil isn’t fertile and almost no food actually grows. The hours are long and the work is backbreaking, not to mention the HEAT, but it’s like, deal-with-able until Jim Jones gets there. At this point Jones is like completely totally paranoid and he’s losing his grip on reality. He’s been doing drugs for years and his sermons have gone from “the US government is bad because it’s capitalist and racist” to “the US government is literally plotting to kill us.”
Some people managed to get out, and formed a group called the “concerned relatives.” They were, you guessed it, concerned relatives of the members who’d been whisked off to the Guyanese wilderness. Lots of people wrote off their concerns because of how many people, namely politicians, liked Jim Jones for his work in racial equality, but the one guy who listened to them was Congressman Leo Ryan, who was by all accounts a Pretty Solid Dude. He didn’t think anything fishy was happening, necessarily, but his whole stance was “I hear you & your concerns, and we should check it out to put your mind at ease! :)”
By this point, life in the Temple is falling! the fuck! apart! Jim Jones has a PA system set to run 24/7 that either play a) recordings of past sermons or b) his announcements happening Right This Second. People work for like 16 hours a day, there are armed guards at the entrance and around the fields to keep people in, the housing is cramped and overcrowded and they do Not have enough food for the almost 1000 people there. They are also getting record low amounts of sleep because Jim Jones, Nutjob Extraordinaire, has gotten into the habit of blaring the air raid siren at god knows what our and calling all his followers into the pavilion for a White Night. Which is, if you can even fucking believe it, a PRACTICE MASS SUICIDE BY KOOL AID.
Talk about foreshadowing.
So anyway, Leo Ryan rolls up to the compound, relatives and an NBC camera crew in tow, and is like “hey what’s up! :)” Jim Jones has been COACHING PEOPLE to tell him how much they love it. It’s fucked up. But okay
So they put on this dinner and a show type deal for the congressman and all the visitors, and Marceline (remember Marceline?) gives them a whole tour and shows them her pride and joy, the school she’d built and helps teaches at, and the medical center, and the daycare, like Marceline ADORES children this cannot be overstated. There are about 300 children in Jonestown and she loves them with her whole heart. ANYWAY
And everyone is having a funky good time, except Jim Jones, whose sanity is coming unraveled like an old sweater and his 950-ish overworked undercompensated cult members
But as Leo Ryan is leaving, someone slips a note to one of the reporters, BEGGING him to get them out of there. And then someone else comes forward. And then another. There are like....maybe 10 people total that come forward? Jim Jones loses his mind, naturally, but Leo Ryan is still like “hey, 10 out of 950 isn’t bad at all! They just miss their families :)” and they get going.
Unfortunately, because the number of people traveling back to the US from Guyana is greater than before, and they came on a small plane, they’re all posted up at the Port Kaituma airstrip waiting for a second aircraft. And this is when shit gets fucking real.
Jim Jones secretly sends his Red Men (read: “guards” with shotguns) to the airstrip to kill everyone because they’re going to give their secrets to the CIA or whatever. So they fucking roll up in this trailer and...open fire. Leo Ryan is killed, an NBC cameraman is killed, some of the defectors and concerned relatives are killed, many of them are wounded.
The Red Men return to the compound and report back to Jones. And then he gets on the PA and tells everyone that the USA’s destruction of them is imminent. He lies and tells them that the pilot will be shot and the plane will go down, and the US government will come into the compound for retribution and kill their seniors and kidnap the children and rape the women. You can hear a recording of this on YouTube! It’s called the Jonestown death tape and it will absolutely ruin your day if you listen to it. Anyway.
People are panicking. It’s time for the real White Night. Jones gets a vat of Flavor-Aid (off brand Kool-Aid) filled with cyanide and narcotics and says “drink :)” and...everyone is...understandably afraid. They’re tired and exhausted and terrified and have no idea what’s true or not. One woman, Christine, argues and pleads for another solution, like running off to the Soviet Union. The entire rest of the compound shouts her down.
So, finally, people drink. Those who won’t, and young children, are injected with it. The death is not painless. People suffer for a long time, and move to the back of the line, lie down, and die. At a reception house in Georgetown, one of Jones’ aides kills her three children and then herself with a steak knife.
A handful of people get out. Maybe five are able to hide, and three of Jones’ sons are away at a basketball game in Georgetown while this is all going down, so they live.
Jim Jones does not drink the poison. Jim Jones shoots himself in the head, and his private nurse does the same.
Marceline Jones screamed, sobbed and struggled until every single child had died, hoping at least one of them would be spared. And when none were, she dried her eyes, resigned herself to her fate, and drank the Kool-Aid.
The 900-something bodies, about a third of which were children, began rotting in the tropical sun almost immediately. Many of them were decomposed beyond recognition by the time the US troops got there. Those unidentified are buried in a mass gravesite in...California, I think? It was the largest loss of American life not due to a natural disaster up until 9/11. The place is still there, though now it’s overgrown, and it’s just...haunting. There’s a number of documentaries on it (recommend) and if you have a really masochistic streak, the Port Kaituma airstrip shooting and the Jonestown death tape audio are both on YouTube the last I checked.
Thank you for indulging me my special interest, and I’m happy to expand on anything here or give more details :3
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themangoyogurt · 4 years
Text
Clementine: Chapter 2
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You cursed yourself as a ridiculous love ballad blared from Poe’s overpriced stereo system. All you had wanted was a night of relaxation. The marble tub in the master ensuite was already filled with hot water and a bath bomb that was so overpriced it was practically criminal. Next to the tub, a chilled glass of white wine patiently waited along the latest novel you were gobbling up.
You had stupidly decided that some calming music was the final piece to your self-care puzzle. Except, you had never used something as high-tech as what Poe’s place offered. One wrong button later, and you were ninety-percent sure that only twenty-percent of your ear drum would be functional after this fiasco.
To make matters worse, there was angry knocking at the front door. The aggressive sound was so furious that it somehow cut through the music, causing you to flush in embarrassment as you ran to get the door. You were so frazzled from breaking the sound system and subsequently upsetting your neighbor that you even forgot to grab a robe on your way out.
The door flung open to reveal a man so large and imposing, you lost your breath.
He was in nothing except a single pair of boxers and fuzzy slippers. Despite his distinctly disheveled (and frankly, sloppy) look, he was handsome. Handsome, built like a refrigerator, and angry. Ogling your neighbor would do no good if he murdered you.
Except, one moment he looked furious and the next, perplexed. Normally, you’d bristle if any man so obviously gave you a once over, but the way his mouth comically hung open made you less offended.
“Clementine,” was all he uttered.
The two of you stared at each other in silence, when the start of yet another pop song interrupted the moment. You startled to attention and rushed to explain, “I am so sorry about the disturbance. I can’t figure out how to work Poe’s stupid stereo and now the thing won’t shut off!”
The stranger peered around your shoulder and a hardened gaze returned to his face. He gritted out, “And where’s Poe to help you out?”
Your brow furrowed, and you could have sworn that he almost looked bitter at the statement. Deciding not to get into it with a stranger, you politely replied, “He’s flying right now. I’m just housesitting while he’s gone.”
The man softened ever so slightly at the response and straightened up. “I think we have the same system. I could help you turn it off.”
“Oh thank goodness,” you breathed in relief, quickly stepping aside to let him in. The stranger seemed to know his way around the gigantic apartment, and you assumed that his layout was either the same or he’d been here before.
Awkwardly shuffling behind him, you timidly supplied your name in an attempt to start a conversation. He merely grunted out, “Kylo.” He didn’t even spare you a glance as he busied himself with tapping at a seriously sci-fi looking box.
After a few minutes of strained silence, the music finally cut out. The sudden quietness was so strong your ears nearly rang from the lack of sound. “Uhm, thank you! Can I make you a mug of tea or something?” you ventured, politeness outweighing the sheer awkwardness as you realized you were two half-naked strangers staring at each other.
He shuffled a bit before giving a terse nod.
Jeez, nobody’s forcing him to hang out with me, you thought in response to his frosty reaction.
Speaking of frosty, you noticed his eyes zeroing in on your rather pointed chest, causing you to turn pink at the neck. Thankfully, you had left a sweatshirt thrown over the couch. Snatching up the thick fleece garment, you tugged it over your head and led Kylo to the kitchen.
Kylo followed with heavy steps, and made himself right at home as he settled on a stool pulled up against a bar area facing the kitchen. Two mugs were pulled from a cabinet and quickly filled with steaming hot water. The liquid reminded you of the bath now gone to waste, but one look at the handsome man gazing at you made it all worth it.
A mug of chamomile was slid across the marble top and into Kylo’s hands before you joined him on the stool to his left.
“Sorry again about the music,” you muttered.
Kylo ran a hand through his hair, dark locks falling like Fall leaves. “It’s fine. It was an accident. So...you’re a house-sitter?”
You laughed, “Unofficially. I just moved to town, and I don’t have a place yet. Poe’s an old friend from college, and he just started some sort of travel show that’s gonna keep him busy for at least four months. I get to stay for free, and he doesn’t have to worry about his house going to shit.”
Kylo nodded, not surprised that the dashing pilot somehow landed himself a deal to host a travel show. He also came from money and had already made a name for himself jet-setting around the globe piloting his own private jet.
You gave him a cute little head tilt and asked, “And what about you? What’s your story?”
For the first time since he left the First Order, Kylo felt embarrassed. Deciding to fall back on vagueness he replied, “Ah, early retirement.” Women liked mysterious men, right?
He was surprised as you let out a low whistle. “Retiring in a place like this? You must’ve had one hell of a job to retire from.” You blew the steam away from your mug and took a long sip.
Kylo frowned and folded his arms across the tabletop. “And what about you? It’s a Wednesday and you’re blaring Taylor Swift near midnight.” You knew that he wasn’t being defensive, despite a slight accusatory tinge to his voice.
You turned to face Kylo, propping your head up on an elbow. There was something gravitational in your exchange, and your bodies had slowly inched closer and closer as you talked. By now, your knees were lightly touching, and you found yourself feeling electricity at the subtle touch.
He laughed as you playfully jabbed a finger in his chest. “I’ll have you know that I do, in fact, have a job! Have you ever heard of Hanna Hut?”
Something about you riled Kylo up, and he felt more alive than he had in the past month. Some teenaged boy part of his brain refused to admit that he had no idea what Hanna Hut was, hoping to impress the pretty girl sitting next to him. Instead, he rolled his eyes and scoffed, “Of course I have. And what’s it to you?”
His resolve slowly dissolved as a silent minute ticked by. He groaned as you finally broke the silence with a loud laugh. “A grouch who can see into the future. Amazing!” Kylo furrowed his brow, and bit back, “What are you talking about?”
“Hanna Hut doesn’t exist. At least not yet.”
Kylo furrowed his brow and pinked in embarrassment at being caught. You patted his thigh, ignoring how muscled it felt underneath your touch. His bare skin was warm and deliciously corded and taut. He stuttered out a non-reply, only earning a louder guffaw from you.
“Don’t worry. It will exist. Hopefully very soon! I’m opening my very own coffeeshop-slash-bookstore combo right here in town!” You couldn’t help but gush in excitement at your very new business venture.
It had taken years of careful planning and budgeting. Years of forgoing mimosas with the girls and squirreling away every dime. Literally. Years of accepting overtime, and years of enduring doubt from friends and family alike.
No more though. You had finally gathered together enough money to launch your dream business. The moment your bank account looked healthy enough, you threw up digits and peaced out of your tiny good-for-nothing town.
Finally, after years of grit and sweat, things seemed to be looking up. With free lodging for the next few months, you didn’t even have to stress about finding an apartment. Your deal with Poe worked out perfectly so that you could spend all of your time and energy looking for the perfect space to launch Hanna Hut.
Your excitement was infectious, as Kylo couldn’t help but flash a wide smile matching the one on your face. “And where can I visit this newfound ‘coffee-slash-bookstore’ venture of yours?” he asked, genuinely curious and interested in the concept.
“Well...I’m still looking for the perfect storefront. I think I might have found it, though! In fact, I’m meeting with the landlord tomorrow afternoon.” You quickly pulled out your cellphone to show him the airy space located in Greenwich Village. It was beautiful, but pricey. Still, you convinced yourself that the price tag would be worth it.
Kylo quietly listened as you continued to babble and swipe through photos.
“It’s a little expensive, but I think it’ll be worth it! The landlord said that if I signed a ten year lease, he’d cut me a deal on rent. I think that should help, especially since there are so many fees and he needs three months rent up front...”
The more you prattled, the more agitated Kylo became. A ten year lease? As cute as you were, cuteness didn’t necessarily equate to business acumen. He found your naiveté equal parts adorable and concerning. Although you were a stranger, he didn’t want to watch yet another out of towner get swindled and eaten up by the city.
He cleared his throat, and interrupted, “Ah, if you want, I could come with you to negotiate tomorrow. I hope I’m not overstepping, but I am a lawyer...”
You perked up and replied, “That would be amazing! But I don’t know if I could pay you. Judging by the fact that you live here, I don’t think I could afford your rates...”
“Ah, well I am retired so it’s not like I’ve got much going on for me. How about you buy me a coffee and we’ll call it even?”
He flinched in surprise when you practically leapt out of your seat. Clasping his hands in your own, you gushed, “Deal! Thank you so much, Kylo!” Kylo looked down at where your hands joined, marveling at how much smaller you were compared to him. Mustering up as much courage possible, he nodded and flashed you a smile.
Just like that, Kylo found himself looking forward to something for the first time in years.
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savvyblunders · 4 years
Text
Personal Post: Imposter Syndrome, Reading Traditional Books, and thoughts about my own writing
{Just rambles regarding books, fanfiction and some of my thoughts therein.}
It’s been a terribly long time since I read any published books--aside from those written by fellow fanfiction authors. It has reached the point that I find them entirely too cringey. The plots are tame, the characters stiff, the language rote. I especially have a hard time caring if there is a supposed ‘romance’ involved. Forget about het romances, they’re so formulaic that they leave me cold. It isn’t that I have no interest in the portrayal of a relationship between a woman and man, it’s that by and large they might as well have been churned off of a factory production line. 
Part of my objection is to the tired old tropes and gender roles which authors (and readers) don’t seem to realize they’re not only falling prey to, but encouraging with their work. The world doesn’t have to be turned on its head to be interesting, but you shouldn’t know from the first few scenes between characters how it will play out--and further more, not care.
I did read a rather good psychological mystery a few days ago, however. I think perhaps it was successful in part because it was so different from the usual run of stories that people publish, but also because there wasn’t a romance shoe-horned into the storyline. The narrator wasn’t particularly sympathetic, but nor were they entirely unredeemed. I don’t want to give too much away, but it explored the themes of bullying, memory, redemption and revenge, with an enjoyable twist that I didn’t see coming--I was successfully led astray by red herrings, which isn’t always the case when I’m reading mysteries. The book, should anyone be interested, was Girl Gone Mad by Avery Bishop.
{I keep on rambling after the break ;)}
I also read another which was such a stinker I deleted it from my Kindle history and couldn’t tell you the title or author. This beauty had a somewhat interesting premise of a woman who wakes from a six month coma with full amnesia and throughout the book has to struggle with not remembering anything and depending on her husband, children and neighbors for the details of her life. Frustratingly, she finds parts of her personality and tastes have changed--at least as far as they all tell her. She begins to doubt that she is who they say--an issue further compounded when certain facets of her life pre-coma are revealed. Then when the ending arrives, there is a twist and a reveal which could have been pretty neat, only it arrived at the end of such a rote story, with such clunky storytelling and unimaginative language that I kind of didn’t care. It was clear, I might add, that the female protagonist was written by a man. Although blessedly he didn’t go into raptures over her perky breasts, long hair, or other physical attributes [insert vomiting]
My reading resulted in a two-fold feeling. One, traditionally published books are by and large crap. A few months ago I tried reading a book from a famous author whom I used to be quite a fan of. It was part of a series with which I used to be enamored. I settled in, expecting a very enjoyable read. After slogging through three chapters I gave it up. The writing was generic, the characters shallow and the ‘bad guy’ was so sketchily written as to be bewildering, not mysterious. 
That book left me frustrated and annoyed. But it also revealed something to me which I had somewhat accepted and understood prior to that, but not entirely absorbed. Just because a book is traditionally published doesn’t mean it’s any good. Just because an author is well known--or even on the best seller list--doesn’t mean they can write. There are more places to find interesting, funny, heartbreaking, sexy, fun, amazingly written, daring and wonderful stories than at a bookstore or through Kindle. 
The second part of my two-fold feeling was that while, as a writer, I may have much room to grow, I still have valuable skills to offer. My four years of writing fanfiction have honed my talent, refined my style, and influenced my voice, perspective and ability. A good beta, or editor, is invaluable. While I used to write solo and not show it to anyone, simply edit and post, I’ve come to understand the inherent value of feedback. It can be a tricky road, as you might find yourself influenced too much by a reader into trying to suit their tastes rather than your own, but a good beta (eternal thanks to @paialovespie & @hoomhum)--that is to say, a great beta, will not only see the nuts and bolts which might need tightening, but will offer insights which blow your story from ordinary to inspired. The same goes for a ‘personal cheerleader’ (the highest of praise to @mottlemoth) or someone who reminds you at your dark times that you are capable of far more than you can conceive of in that moment. Forget nasty comments online, most of us are our own worst enemies--after all, we know our weakest spots and can zero in on them mercilessly.
Even without a beta, I believe in myself as a writer enough these days (most days) to hope that one day, with hard work, skill, great editing, and some luck, I too could be published. Not a NYT best seller, perhaps, but then, I’m not entirely certain I’d like that. I don’t say this out of any sort of pretentiousness, but because, in essence, these days, I want to write the kind of things that appeal to a more niche audience. I’d like to point with pride at my small book, nestled there on a bookshelf, or available with one click of a button, as something that helps give a voice to a community which has, and still continues to be, marginalized, ignored, fetishized and pandered to, in equal measure. Perhaps it would be for the best if what I wrote wasn’t palatable to the greater reading public.
Of course, those days when I’m full of zest and confidence don’t always last. Like any creator, I fall prey to Imposter Syndrome. Lord, I can’t believe that a time used to exist when I didn’t know what that was! I knew the feeling (oh, how I did), but had no clue that a term existed to encapsulate it. The concept that I wasn’t alone in having days (weeks, months, years) of being cast into doubt that I had anything worth saying--a voice worth listening to--isn’t a new one, but to find out that I’m not alone was unutterably comforting. 
Since, like so many people, I’ve been suffering from a lack of ambition and ability to focus during this global pandemic, I haven’t written much at all, that inner voice rang loud and clear. I’m a fraud, a fake. Any ability I had was used up, clearly as shallow as a mud puddle if a little adversity was enough to dry it out. The struggle to get myself past that was, and is, one that swings from good to bad almost day by day. I had to finally give myself permission to be sad, scared, worried, tired, uninspired. Eventually I decided it was enough that I could find comfort and solace in other’s writing. And oh, how I have! Even though days and days would pass when I couldn’t even muster the interest to read, other times I would consume fanfiction fervently, feverishly. 
And there was so much out there! Adventure, sex, romance, comedy, crack, fluff, hurt/comfort. It seems funny that I can rail against the ‘formulaic’ writing of published books and then turn to ‘tags’ and ‘tropes’ for comfort. But I think the difference lies in the heart that is written into those fanfiction stories. Most of us, while being somewhat influenced by friends, mutuals and fans into writing for a hungry public, are, by and large, writing for ourselves. The old tried and true ‘write what you know’ advice seemed empty and meaningless to me for years. If we only ever write what we know, then how do sci-fi, fantasy, adventure, etc., get written? My brain went to the obvious and ignored the heart of the matter--it isn’t so much what you ‘know’ as writing what you need. What makes you passionate. Even if you’ve never been on a space ship, or been part of a polyamorous, platonic communal family group, if you write it with that yearning and spirit in your heart, it will reach out to someone else.
Fanfiction, at it’s core, is self-comfort.
In my estimation, looking at traditionally published books, it seems that what most of them lack is that heart. The writers aren’t writing because they need the story, or because they are compelled to tell it. It isn’t that they had a hell of a good time writing it, or that they made themselves laugh while doing so. They had a publishing deal to fulfil, a publisher to make happy, a reading public who had certain expectations. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, but if it’s your only motivation...then the writing suffers the neglect and a percerptive reader will note the difference. 
By and large, the fandom, the ship, even the trope, aren’t what captivates me most. I’m a pretty eclectic reader. I enjoy a good story more than I do the fact that it is a particular pairing. The draw is how well it is written, any chances the author took, the indulgence into style, formatting, etc. that they allowed themselves. So why should published books be any different? I’ve heard (non-fandom) people dismiss fanfiction as niche. Perhaps it is. But it is also broad, vast, uncharted territory where we’re all having a lot of fun and enjoying the hell out of ourselves.
Maybe those published authors need to spend a little time with us. 
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laceymorganwrites · 4 years
Text
Don´t call me kid, don´t call me baby
THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE MANGA
Word count: 4,043
Pairing: Atsumu x fem!reader
Summary: You are the neighbor of infamous Atsumu Miya and manager of the Sendai Frogs (Former manager of Karasuno). You don´t really like him (reader is a bit of a tsundere) until you get a chance to know him. Maybe you were wrong about him all along?
Warnings: Swearing, mentions of sex (nothing explicit), Atsumu overthinking and being insecure
Fun facts: Atsumu and you wanted to go to the park for your date, but it rained, so you just went to his place, cooked together and watched Naruto
Mini playlist: Illicit affairs - Taylor Swift
                       Bloody Valentine - Machine Gun Kelly
                        Friday I´m in love - The Cure
                         Rockstar - Call Me Karizma
                         Alphabet Boy - Melanie Martinez
                       Leave Me Alone - I Don´t Know How But They Found Me
Trying to squeeze your way through the masses at the airport always stressed you out, coming home was supposed to feel calm and relaxing, not like this.
You were only gone for a week, visiting friends and relatives abroad, but honestly you were excited to be back home.
It was stressful running errands and catching up on months upon months of information.
You only had this chance because the season just ended, but that only meant that the training would start again soon, now that you were home.
Volleyball and you were inseparable, ever since you could remember.
It all started with you watching it on TV and being fascinated, joining a club in middle school, then in high school, you even got the chance to be the manager of the Sendai Frogs, your current job.
Everything was going too well.
You only hoped that your apartment would still stand when you arrived there, maybe having the team look after it wasn´t the best decision. Maybe Tsukishima was able to smack some sense into the others.
“(Y/N)-senpai?!” Hinata called out to you, he thought he was only imagining things, but when you turned around to meet his eyes, he smiled brightly and ran to you.
He just came back from Brazil and you were equally surprised as him, sure all of you stayed in contact, but both of you and Nishinoya being abroad, the rest of the team being in college or working already complicated meeting up.
Yet it was nice that you texted each other, you even followed some of the careers of your former club as far as it was possible.
And Hinata made sure to text as often as possible, even announcing to you that upon his arrival he´d want to attend the tryouts of the Black Jackals.
“Hinata! You´re back already? Is it already the third?” you thought to yourself, to you it felt as if he just left, to you he was still the little bundle of joy that changed everything.
“You sure grew up a lot! You´re much taller than before… I can´t believe it´s been three years already!” you mustered him, noticing how mature he was now, still to you he´d always be the same he was in high school.
“Brazil was amazing! I learned a lot, beach volleyball is super hard! And you won´t believe who I met” he started as you two walked out of the airport together, you listened attentively as he told you all about his stay abroad, you had a smile on your face the whole time.
He has come so far.
“I can´t believe you ran into Oikawa at some random beach, what are the chances?” you giggled, picking up your luggage with him and leaving the airport.
You talked a bit more until you had to part ways.
“Good luck with the tryouts!” you called after him and he gave you a thumbs up before he grabbed a taxi.
You had the luck to be picked up by the team´s coach and discussed the next season and games in the car.
“Training starts tomorrow again, but you don´t need to do anything today. We don´t have any set games yet, so we´re just gonna commence normal training tomorrow and you can make some calls after and see who´s free for a game” he instructed and you nodded.
It was good being in the flow of things again, somehow being home and working was more relaxing than being with your family and friends.
When you arrived home, the coach helped you with your luggage which you were grateful for.
Luckily everything in your apartment was as you left it, probably thanks to Tsukishima.
After saying goodbye to the coach you were on your way to put the last piece of luggage into your apartment, though you wished you were already inside when the events unfolded before your eyes.
“You´re an asshole, Atsumu!” some girl yelled and you had to suppress a chuckle.
Being neighbors with Atsumu Miya wasn´t as annoying as you thought it would be, he was never at home.
And still he was just like the asshole you imagined him to be, just like the cocky prick he painted himself as.
But he was quite entertaining as a neighbor, you had to admit. Every now and then angry women would leave his apartment, yelling at him, accusing him of the most ridiculous things. And it always made you laugh.
“Come on, Sarah! It wasn´t that bad… give me some credit” he called after her, but she only huffed and turned around bashfully.
“My name´s Nicole!” she shrieked and stomped out of the door.
You eyed the two, leaning in your doorway.
Atsumu sighed, this wasn´t the first time this has happened. Not only was he bad in bed apparently, though he didn´t see the problem in cumming fast when she initially just wanted to blow him, but he was also the biggest asshole on the planet.
No wonder he couldn´t get anyone to stay.
“Ouch. Forgetting her name? That´s low, even for you, Miya” you commented with a bitter undertone.
At least he had the decency to look somewhat guilty.
“You think I don´t know that?” he mumbled, making you raise an eyebrow. Usually he´d make some shitty remark about how he had so many girls, he couldn´t possibly keep up with the names of them all.
“You know, it´s kinda her own fault for getting involved with you” you tried to comfort him, but obviously your words left more harm than intended.
You wanted to apologize, but before you could do that, Atsumu  gave you a knowing smile.
He seemed off today, but it was none of your business, so you didn´t press it.
“How was your vacation by the way?” he tried to change the subject.
You scrunched your nose, he always tried to pry into your life like that, you didn´t know why but it irked you.
“I don´t see how that´s any of your concern, Miya” you coldly told him off.
“Would it kill ya to call me by my first name?” he softly asked, scowling a bit.
The thing was, Atsumu had the biggest crush on you ever since he quite literally ran into you on your daily morning run. And when you moved in next door, he was over the moon.
But his reputation preceded him and you didn´t want to have anything to do with him, he couldn´t even blame you.
Yet every time he saw you, his heart raced more than when he spiked a volleyball, he couldn´t help smiling and you made his heart leap out of his chest.
It was stupid, he knew nothing would ever come of it and yet he couldn´t give up, he didn´t want to. He wanted to live in his little fantasy world where you actually looked his way.
“We´re not that close, Miya” you shot back, not wanting to admit that intimacy of that kind scared you.
You weren´t stupid, you noticed the thickened atmosphere between the two of you, but acknowledging even the slightest possibility of you opening your heart to him meant defeat to you.
Besides, you didn´t have time for relationships.
His heart sunk at your words, at the undeniable truth that hurt him so much more than he was ready to admit.
“Can I at least help you with your luggage?” he offered, sounding almost desperate.
“Suit yourself….” you mumbled. Usually you´d decline, but you just didn´t have the energy today.
You had to deal with the bickering of the team tomorrow anyways, a little help wouldn´t hurt, would it?
Atsumu entered your apartment and asked you what he could do to help, you showed him around and together you unpacked your suitcases. He even stayed to clean your apartment with you.
When you showed your surprise that he somewhat knew what he was doing he told you about his teammate who always got up on his ass about being dirty and messy.
You laughed at the way he pouted, telling the story.
“Hey are ya hungry? I can cook something up for ya” he asked, his eyes wide and hopeful.
He beamed at you when you agreed, showing him around the kitchen.
“Didn´t know you could cook…” you mumbled, watching him prepare the food.
You couldn´t believe you just agreed to have Atsumu Miya cook for you. You´d so regret that in the morning, you were getting weak…
“Yeah, my brother´s got an onigiri shop an´ I help out sometimes” he said nonchalantly, grabbing two plates and serving the food.
“Hm… I didn´t know that. You don´t seem like the type to do that.” you thought out loud, starting to eat and smiling delightfully at the taste. “Like you said, we´re not that close… I don´t really have the best relationship with my brother, but he´s still family, ya know?” he stated, digging in as well.
“Anyway, how´s the food? Do ya like it?” he asked excitedly and grinned widely when you nodded.
He helped you clean up the dishes before you two said goodbye.
“Thanks for the help… Atsumu…” you said through clenched teeth, looking sideways.
He looked at you perplexed, but over the moon.
“You called me by my name!” he exclaimed, smiling at you softly.
“Don´t let it get to your head” you told him before he went back to his own apartment.
The next few days passed rather quickly, your team was as chaotic as ever, you called a few of your friends and Hinata texted you that he made it into the team and asked you if you wanted to celebrate with him on the weekend.
You were free so you agreed.
What you didn´t expect was that he also invited the team.
You rolled your eyes as you saw Atsumu and Hinata come up to you, one more joyful than the other. “Congrats on making the team, Shoyo” you smiled at him, trying to ignore Atsumu´s knowing smirk.
Hinata must´ve told him something.
“Thanks! I can´t believe Atsumu-senpai´s finally tossing to me!” he smiled widely, it was nice knowing that he was still as full of energy as ever.
“What can I say? I keep my promises” he smugly answered.
“(Y/N)!” Bokuto called out to you, running up to you and joining in on the conversation.
“Kou!” you matched his energy and gave him a big hug, to which Atsumu looked away jealous.
“Have you met everyone already?” he asked, but before you could say anything he looked over at Atsumu who had a pleading look on his face.
He hoped Bokuto wouldn´t embarrass him too much after everyone found out about his crush on you.
It wasn´t even his fault, he never thought they´d figure it out. He always kept talking about his neighbor, and now that Hinata was there who knew about your annoying neighbor, all of that secrecy was for naught.
It was quite funny from the outside perspective.
In their first training with the newbie he talked nonstop about you and his old team, about his stay in Brazil and his dreams, Bokuto asked about you as well and asked Hinata if you still had that douche of a neighbor.
Atsumu only listened in on their conversation once you were name dropped.
He was shocked when Hinata nodded and asked if he was really that bad.
Bokuto said nothing to that, only shrugging his shoulders and letting him know that his attitude wasn´t for everyone.
“I think you´re great, Atsumu-senpai!” Hinata then let him know.
“Yeah, don´t let it get to your head!” Bokuto patted his back.
And now he wanted nothing more than to escape this situation.
“Ah, (Y/N), are you free next Wednesday?” Bokuto asked and Atsumu´s eyes went wide, he couldn´t be thinking of that, could he?
“Yeah, it´s our day off, but I have to make some calls. Why´re you asking?” you answered, something about Hinata´s and Bokuto´s behavior seemed suspicious, but you couldn´t put your finger on it.
It really threw you off.
“Do you maybe wanna watch our training and help a bit?” he asked, so it was true. Atsumu´s most dreaded and most wished dream would come true if you said yes.
Wished because it was you and he wanted nothing more than to impress you. Dreaded because he needed extra training to get used to the noise in the stadium. Which meant his teammates would make as much noise as possible and Bokuto would very loudly imitate his fangirls.
He already embarrassed himself in front of you enough on a daily basis.
“Yeah sure, just text me the time and I´ll be there” you agreed, it wasn´t every day you got the opportunity to watch such a great team.
Hinata and Bokuto left you two to talk to some of their friends from high school. You already talked to everyone and didn´t feel like staying much longer.
Atsumu felt kind of out of place, he wasn´t that good at social interaction despite being known as such a bright personality.
He gave up on taking someone home tonight, he really wasn´t in the mood.
And without his brother, his old friends from high school or his teammates who already left or were busy with someone else, he just felt lost.
“Hey, you know what Kou meant with me helping in your training?” you asked, it didn´t leave your head ever since he mentioned it.
“Promise me you won´t laugh?” Atsumu sighed, meeting your eyes.
“It´s you we´re talking about, of course I´m gonna laugh” you replied, smirking at him.
“Fair enough” he stated, facing you.
“I can´t play when it´s loud, my serves and spikes are always off when I hear those squealing pigs…” he mumbled, crossing his arms and pouting, looking way cuter than he should.
You couldn´t help but chuckle a bit.
“Squealing pigs? Seriously?” you raised an eyebrow, but couldn´t stop laughing as you imagined Atsumu glaring at them like he did in high school.
He was such an asshole back then, a good player, and just your type.
“What? They´re annoying….” he defended himself.
“Sure, but that still doesn´t explain how on earth I´m gonna help with that. Except I should cheer for you” you thought and scoffed when he met your eyes.
“In my defense it wasn´t my idea! And Bokuto does it too…. But it helps a lot actually… I just hope I´ll get my shit together until next game” he confessed.
“Oh trust me, I´ll give it my all” you giggled, you wouldn´t let an opportunity to make fun of him slip by so easily.
Atsumu and you talked for a bit longer, he told you a bit more about himself, and you, well, you gave in and did the same.
It was weird laughing with Atsumu, being by yourself at a party and still having more fun than everyone else.
And yet you didn´t want it to stop.
“Hey, you wanna grab a bite to eat?” he suggested with a hopeful glimmer in his eyes.
“Yeah, food sounds great right now” you gave him a smile which he reciprocated gladly.
You two said goodbye to everyone and Hinata and Bokuto both gave you knowing looks.
“So, where are we going?” you asked, for the first time actually interested in sparking a conversation with him.
“My brother´s place, it´s close and you said you wanted to go there sometime” he said, surprising you that he actually remembered.
The walk was nice, you talked a bit more and the cool night air was refreshing.
“If it ain´t my idiot brother, didn´t I tell you not to bring yer hoes to my shop? Don´t want my rep to be crushed...” Osamu scolded him and now you understood why Atsumu was always so reluctant to speak about him.
Apparently he didn´t lie when he said they parted ways on a bad note.
“She ain´t a hoe, ´Samu! Her name´s (Y/N) and she´s my neighbor. The one I told ya about” Atsumu explained and Osamu quickly apologized to you.
You simply shrugged it off though since it didn´t bother you that much.
“Ya must be some sort of angel with nerves of steel to be able to live next to such an idiot. If I was in your place, I woulda moved places a long time ago” Osamu remarked, getting your order ready.
“Oh you know, he´s not that bad” you admitted, slightly looking at Atsumu and catching him off guard.
“You really think so? Thanks, (Y/N)” he smiled and then sat down with you to eat.
Meanwhile he told you funny stories from his childhood while Osamu told you embarrassing things about Atsumu that made you laugh even harder.
Atsumu decided that the sound of your laugh was his new favorite.
He paid and you two walked home together.
You even hugged him goodbye as you had to part ways.
This night your touch and your words clouded and calmed Atsumu´s dreams and he woke up refreshed and in a good mood the next morning.
Wednesday came rather soon, now that you talked to him more and got to know him, time seemed to fly and you cursed yourself for being so prideful for all the wrong reasons, for your prejudices against him.
You entered the gym to Sakusa scolding Atsumu for fucking up his seventh serve, Hinata was praising and defending him and Bokuto was doing fuck knows what, yelling about how he wanted Atsumu´s children.
Atsumu was the first one to notice you, apologizing for the scene you just had to witness as he saw your appalled expression.
“Kou, what the actual fuck?!” you murmured as you greeted everyone.
“It´s part of the training! I´m one of his fangirls, they´re gonna be super loud and he has to get used to it” he explained, smiling widely.
You shook your head.
“So he has to get used to people wanting his children and calling him daddy? Alright… I´m not gonna do that” you decided.
“I think I´m just gonna watch a bit and cheer when I think it´s necessary” you said and sat down.
Everyone thought that Atsumu would be distracted by your presence, but the exact opposite was the case.
He was hyper focused, even though everybody was trying to distract him, he could shut that all out and focus on his play.
When he landed the first serve of the day, you were shocked to see how good he really was.
You couldn´t help yourself but cheer for him as well, though you didn´t yell out how much you wanted his children, rather you yelled how awesome he was, how you didn´t know that anybody could make a spike this hard and fast, how he was better than Kageyama.
The last one really pitched his ego and he dedicated his next serve to you, to which you rolled your eyes, but also blushed.
“Guys, honestly I think you´re gonna be fine on the game. Like, holy shit… all of you are so good! I´m so proud of you” you let them know after training was finished.
“Thanks, (Y/N)!” Hinata and Bokuto grinned.
“I´m still not good enough, you helped a lot, but it´s not enough...” Atsumu said, he was never happy with his performance, no matter what he always found something that didn´t go as he planned it.
“What do you mean not good enough? You´re easily the best setter in Japan right now” you stated as a matter of fact.
“Huh?” Atsumu questioned, thinking he had just imagined it, there was no way in hell you´d compliment him like that, cheer him up like that, and in such a way that leaves no room for objection.
“I mean it, Atsumu. You´re amazing. And if anyone tells you otherwise they´re either lying or just plain rude” you undermined your statement and he gave you a dreamy smile.
“You said my name again” he happily noticed.
“If that´s what it takes to make you know your own self worth then I´ll do it over and over again” you said, crossing your arms.
Hinata thought you looked like you did in high school. Like a mom, like someone who deeply cared, someone who could kick ass and someone who was one of the best managers he could´ve ever asked for.
Hell, Kiyoko, Yachi and you carried the team to the nationals, if it weren´t for you, Ukai and Takeada none of this would´ve been possible.
It was only now that he was an adult that he realized what all of that really meant and how grateful he was.
“I agree with (Y/N), Atsumu-senpai! You´re a great setter and you got even better, you train harder than anyone else and get better every day but it´s important that you take breaks” Hinata chimed in, he wasn´t part of the team for long, but has heard that Atsumu always overworked himself.
The team was scared that he´d hurt himself some day because of that.
“I can´t afford to take breaks, if I do I´ll fall behind. And if I fall behind I´ll get benched and if I get benched I´ll get kicked from the team and then all of this was for nothing” he rambled, looking distraught.
You let out a worried sigh and gently touched his arm, making him stop in his tracks and look at you.
“Do you really think they´re stupid enough to let such a great player go? And even more than that, do you think that anyone would let a great man like you go?” you softly spoke, touching his heart.
“Do you mean it?” he quietly asked, being in your presence calmed his mind down immediately.
“Of course I do. Look, when I first met you I thought you were the cockiest asshole to ever walk on earth. But you proved me wrong, because you´re so much more than you think. And I regret being so cold and distant to you, because honestly, I wish I´d got to know you sooner. But I´m stubborn and I didn´t. I can´t change the fact that it could´ve gone very differently, and neither can you. No matter how much you think about it, how you could´ve done things better, spiked this ball better, you can´t change it. All you can do is give it your all in the moment. And trust me, everything you do is more than enough, so don´t dwell on it. If you keep thinking like that, volleyball won´t be fun anymore. And that would just be sad” you opened up more than you intended to, but you thought it got the point across.
Atsumu said nothing for a while, still processing those words. Sure, he felt great hearing your praise, but what stuck to him was that you were actually glad to have met and know him.
And that was just the best feeling in the world to him.
“Will you come to our next game and cheer me on?” he asked hopefully, making you smile.
“Tell you what, I´ll even treat you to dinner afterwards. Sound like a good date to you?” you grinned.
“A date? You actually want to go on a date with me?” he had the goofiest, biggest smile on his face that made you feel all fuzzy and warm inside.
“A poor choice really” Sakusa commented.
“Hush! They´re having a moment!” Bokuto whined, he was very emotional and honestly relieved, Atsumu has been up their asses about dating you ever since you moved in next to him.
You groaned and dragged Atsumu outside with you, away from the others to have a little privacy.
“Maybe it wasn´t the best idea to ask you out in front of everyone…” you laughed it off and Atsumu joined in.
“I´m glad you did though. I wanted to ever since you moved in, but you know… didn´t think you´d be interested” he admitted.
“Me neither and yet here we are” you chuckled, not really knowing where to go from here.
You were pretty proud of yourself that you even managed to admit your feelings for him, give him a chance and then asked him out. It was totally worth it.
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